In my last post I left off with the elders deserving double honor because they labor in word and doctrine while also ruling their families in love and generally being upstanding, dependable people, that are trying hard to preserve the word of God while tending to life, including a job that supports their family.
These overseers, or elders, came in the wake of the Apostles moving among the people, teaching Christ, leaving overseers in their stead, moving from place to place. The Apostles were the very word of God, walking on earth as mortal men. The elders were the guardians of that word until such time that the Scriptures were made perfect...preserved for all time and no longer needed to be in the keeping of overseers.
Eventually we reach the end of Scripture. We come to the point at which there is no more. No more divine writings, no more Scripturally based history...nothing new. And at that point we reach the fullness of the word of God and the end of all divine revelation. The Scriptures still weren't perfect though, overseers were still needed to guard the deposit entrusted to them until such time that the Scriptures were preserved in written form to be handed down through the ages so all the elect might have them.
These overseers, or elders, came in the wake of the Apostles moving among the people, teaching Christ, leaving overseers in their stead, moving from place to place. The Apostles were the very word of God, walking on earth as mortal men. The elders were the guardians of that word until such time that the Scriptures were made perfect...preserved for all time and no longer needed to be in the keeping of overseers.
Eventually we reach the end of Scripture. We come to the point at which there is no more. No more divine writings, no more Scripturally based history...nothing new. And at that point we reach the fullness of the word of God and the end of all divine revelation. The Scriptures still weren't perfect though, overseers were still needed to guard the deposit entrusted to them until such time that the Scriptures were preserved in written form to be handed down through the ages so all the elect might have them.
Where Scripture leaves off we are left with only history to teach us what happened. We could live without history if we only had Scripture but sometimes we want to fill in the blanks and when that happens all we have is history.
For some strange reason as I have delved deeper and deeper into the teachings of men I wanted to fill in some of those blanks. Unfortunately I was left with nothing but the teachings of men to fill in those blanks. I wasn't there in the first century to see what life was like, I have no first person journals to read of the accounts of what happened when the Apostles were no more on this earth. And so I turned to history.
I read only enough to get a feel for what happened when Scripture ended. And what I found was interesting but it also threw up red flags as I learned it. How am I to know that this is true? Whose side of the story is true and whose side is made up wishing on their part? Which side used lies to further their agenda? Which one told the truth?
I can never know the answer so I had to take all of the historical 'facts' I found with a grain of salt as my grandmother used to say. I had to take it all in and try to paint the picture for myself.
From what I can piece together from so many sources that I couldn't begin to cite them all, Christianity in the first century was pretty much what Christ, and later, the Apostles made it. In other words it was the system and the teachings straight from Christ, but even as this brand new system of belief was being established there were those that were adulterating it, those that were changing and corupting it, those that were using even that which was pure for their own gain. And somewhere, sometime, after the Apostles were no more it all changed even more. By the end of the second century the 'church' system as we know it was firmly in place.
We see in Scripture that that system was already slipping in...Diotrophes was the first example of what could only be described as the primitive version of our modern 'preachers' and their systems.
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
1 John 1:9-10 ESV
The 'church' system along with false teachers and false gospels were already slipping in. It would seem to me that somewhere in all that when the Apostles left behind these groups of professing believers there were some that held to what they knew of Scripture and there were those that went the way of other gospels. Paul went so far, in Acts 20, as to say the elders from Ephesus would stray from the Gospel. He even said,
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8 ESV
So these other gospels were well in place even in the days of the Apostles. Then time passed and the Apostles were no longer there. There were no more divinely appointed teachers of the Word. In their place were mere mortal men doing the best they could to preserve the Scriptures.
From what I can gather it appears that the New Testament books were all written no later than the mid second century. I found this:
By the middle of the 2nd century it becomes evident that a great many different and often contradictory passages of holy scripture are circulating among the various Christian churches, each claiming to offer the truth. (There is even a Gospel according to Judas Iscariot.) Which of these shall be accepted as the official canon? This becomes a subject of urgent debate among church leaders.
By the end of the century it is widely agreed that four Gospels, the Epistlesof Paul and the Acts of the Apostlesare authentic. But it is not until 367 that a list is circulated by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, which finally establishes the content of the New Testament.
Read more:http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa11#ixzz5LzlOWZz4
By the end of the century it is widely agreed that four Gospels, the Epistlesof Paul and the Acts of the Apostlesare authentic. But it is not until 367 that a list is circulated by Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, which finally establishes the content of the New Testament.
Read more:http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa11#ixzz5LzlOWZz4
So it looks like there would have been some written versions of the New Testament Scriptures circulating but there were also many erroneous versions being passed around as the Scriptures. I'm just speculating here but it seems to me that in a day and time when there were no actual, official, versions of the Scriptures and when what there was were probably difficult for the average Joe to get hold of, it would probably be very easy for these false Scriptures to be passed off as the real thing.
I also have to wonder how long it took before the poor man could gain access to a copy of the Scriptures. Years ago I read that in the middle ages a copy of the Bible cost a priest an entire years wages. What poor man could afford such when he also had a family to provide for?
I once read a book, Mary Jones (John's?) Bible, about a girl that wanted a Bible so badly that she saved money for six years and walked many miles to get it. That was centuries after these early days of Christianity as we know it...and I highly suspect Christianity in the first centuries did not look like the Christianity we know today.
And so history...but more importantly Scripture...shows us that the first Christians under grace had no access to the Scriptures.
How would one even go about following Christ if they had no instructions on how to do it?
The Holy Spirit would lead and guide them, of that I have no doubt, but at the same time I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be to hold any kind of deep faith in Christ, whether you were of the elect or not, and not have a copy of the Scriptures. I can only think of how lost I would be without them.
And so I have tried hard to mentally transplant myself from this modern day America that I live in and to put myself in the first few centuries. I have watched a short snippet of a documentary on Rome, saw the Roman soldiers marching, their swords and metal flashing, and imagined what it might be like to live in fear of them. I have watched part of a documentary on the history of the Bible and seen the reenactments of persecution toward Christians and tried to imagine myself in their place. I've read bits of stories and history and tried to pull it all together to form a picture in my mind. It has worked but it has also failed.
It also has not escaped my notice that to learn more about what life was like for early Christians that I had to turn to the teachings of men, the very thing I am studying so hard on.
While I stepped into the teachings of men for some of my understanding on this topic, watching documentaries, reading history, and doing random internet searches to see if anyone else saw things as my husband and I do, my husband stuck with the Lord's word only. We studied Scripture together but he studied Scripture only. I shared all my findings with him and we discussed them but he did not go looking for them.
He was better able to set aside all the teachings of men than I was. Somehow though, it has all worked together, flowed together. He would tell me a verse and I would say, 'I just wrote that', or he would bring up an idea and I would say, 'I've been writing on that'. Some days we came to our studies having been pondering on the very same things that day without knowing it, other days we confused each other but somehow even in our confusing one another we eventually figured out that we were on the same page just not fully understanding how the other was coming to it.
My husband went so far as to tell me on a couple of topics 'I wanted to see if the Holy Spirit was leading you to the same place He led me' and you know what...99.9% of the time He had. There have been as many lessons to learn in watching the Lord work in us and through us with this study as there have been in the studying themselves.
I even found myself wondering many times why I was looking to the teachings of men on a certain topic only to see and understand later why the Spirit had guided me to that because it eventually fit in with our study.
While I stepped into the teachings of men for some of my understanding on this topic, watching documentaries, reading history, and doing random internet searches to see if anyone else saw things as my husband and I do, my husband stuck with the Lord's word only. We studied Scripture together but he studied Scripture only. I shared all my findings with him and we discussed them but he did not go looking for them.
He was better able to set aside all the teachings of men than I was. Somehow though, it has all worked together, flowed together. He would tell me a verse and I would say, 'I just wrote that', or he would bring up an idea and I would say, 'I've been writing on that'. Some days we came to our studies having been pondering on the very same things that day without knowing it, other days we confused each other but somehow even in our confusing one another we eventually figured out that we were on the same page just not fully understanding how the other was coming to it.
My husband went so far as to tell me on a couple of topics 'I wanted to see if the Holy Spirit was leading you to the same place He led me' and you know what...99.9% of the time He had. There have been as many lessons to learn in watching the Lord work in us and through us with this study as there have been in the studying themselves.
I even found myself wondering many times why I was looking to the teachings of men on a certain topic only to see and understand later why the Spirit had guided me to that because it eventually fit in with our study.
In some of that studying on history and the early Christians I came across a people known as the Wadenses, other groups of them were called the Albigenses, and the Cathars. There seems to be two sides to their history, one good, one bad. One side says they are Christians, the other side says they were heretics.
I can't get a clear example of exactly what they were as they were so persecuted that most of their writings and what would have been first or second hand accounts of who and what they were, and more importantly what they believed, were destroyed in those persecutions.
Some histories on them say the Waldenses actually trace their history back to the first century Apostles. I think that leans more toward them being able to trace their belief in Scripture back to the Apostles and not to their genetic linage but that's just my opinion as I have no way of knowing for certain. There are conflicting bits of history on all of this though so one can never be certain just who and what these people were.
I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that chances are these were people that truly believed in Christ and were trying to follow the teachings of the Apostles, and therefore of the Scriptures, simply because they were so persecuted. I can't know for certain though and to be honest it really does not matter.
My husband asked me why I was interested in these people and I told him because whether or not these people can trace their history to the Apostles there had to be people that could. The Scriptures and the Lord's remnant did not survive the ages and the horrific persecutions without there being people throughout each age that clung to the Scriptures.
I am inclined to say that no entire group of people were probably of the elect and experience, through our modern lives, has shown me that children will profess the faith of their parents at least until they reach a certain age. If you take those children, while still young enough to profess their parent's faith through the teachings of their parents, and you move them to a secluded place where they have no outside influences they will grow up knowing nothing else. So I would assume that it would be possible to raise entire generations, one after the other, on the same faith of the original set or sets of parents faith and beliefs if one was able to keep all outside influences away.
That would create entire groups of people that professed the same belief but only some of those people would hold genuine faith and the elect in their midst would still be at the Lord's choosing. In other words it would be possible, probably more so in times of persecution, to raise up head knowledge Christians that also had an emotional attachment to their beliefs but whether or not that knowledge and attachment would go into saving faith would still be in the Lord's hands. Some would be the elect, some probably would not be.
But regardless of all of that, somehow the Lord had to preserve His word through the ages and there was a time when that preservation came mostly through people. Once His word was preserved in written form the need for His teachings to be handed down from person to person was less important because any believer, elect or not, could, in time, get a copy of the Scriptures and read them for themselves.
That wasn't always the case though, and it still isn't the case in some places today. My modern American mind cannot fathom not being able to get my hands on a copy of the Scriptures but there are still people that can't. And in times past that was the case for just about all people.
In times and places when the Scriptures were not available in written form they were preserved through word of mouth or other teachings/writings. The Waldenses has a writing called the Nobla Leycon, one of the few that survived their persecution, that was essentially a summary of the Scriptures.
It's long and I hesitate to share it here for that reason but I'm going to do just that:
THE NOBLA LEYCON
(Noble Lesson)
The "Noble Lesson" written in the Language of the ancient inhabitants of the Valleys (The Waldenses); in the Year 1100. Extracted out of a most authentic manuscript, the true original whereof is to be seen in the public library of the famous University of Cambridge. "The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont." by Samuel Morland. 1658. CHRAA. 1982. p.99
"O Brethren, give ear to a noble lesson.
We ought always to watch and pray,
For we see the world nigh to a conclusion.
We ought to strive to do good works,
Seeing that the end of this world approacheth.
There are already a thousand and one hundred years fully accomplished,
Since it was written thus, for we are in the last time.
We ought to covet little, for we are at what remains, viz. at the later end.
We see daily the Signs to be accomplished,
And that in the increase of evil, and decrease of good.
These are the perils which the scripture mentioneth,
In the Gospels and St.Paul's Writings:
As also, that no man living can know the end.
And therefore we ought the more to fear, as not being certain,
Whether we shall die to day or tomorrow.
But when the day of judgement shall come,
Every one shall receive their full reward.
Those that shall have done either well or ill.
Now the Scripture saith, and we ought to believe it,
That all men shall pass two ways.
The good to glory, and the wicked to torment.
But he that shall not believe this departure,
Let him search the Scripture from the very beginning,
Since Adam was formed until this present time,
There he shall find, if he has understanding,
That few are the saved in comparison of the rest.
Wherefore every one that will do good works,
The honour of God the Father ought to be his first moving principle.
He ought likewise to implore the aid of His glorious Son, the dear Son of the Virgin Mary,
And the Holy Ghost which lightens us in the true way.
These three (the holy Trinity) as being but one God, ought to be called upon,
Full of power wisdom and goodness.
This we ought often to beg and pray for,
That He would enable us to encounter our enemies,
And overcome them before our end,
Which are the world, the Devil, and the flesh:
And that He would give us wisdom accompanied with goodness,
That we may know the way of life,
And keep pure that Soul and Body in way of charity,
So as we love the holy Trinity,
And our neighbour, for God hath commanded it.
Not only those that do us good, but those also which harm us.
Having hope in the King of Heaven,
That in the end He may receive us into His glorious habitation.
Now we who shall not do what is contained in this Lesson,
Shall never enter into this house.
Though it be never to hard to be received by the wicked,
Which love Gold and Silver,
Which have the promises of God in contempt,
Who neither keep His Law and Commandments,
Nor suffer those who would to keep them,
But rather hinder them to the utmost of their power.
How came this evil to enter into mankind?
Because Adam sinned at the first beginning,
By eating of the forbidden Apple.
And thus the grain of evil seed taking root in others,
He brought Death to himself and all his Posterity;
Well may we say, this was an evil morsel;
However Christ has redeemed the good by his death and passion.
But alas we find in this Lesson,
that Adam believed not God his Creator,
Yea and we may see likewise, that nowadays
Men forsake God the Father Almighty,
And believe in Idols to their own Destruction.
That which the Law forbids,
which was from the beginning,
Called the Law of Nature, common to all sorts,
Which God put into the heart of that man whom he first formed.
Giving him a power of doing good or evil,
But commanding him to do the good, and eschew the evil.
And this you may see was ill observed,
For that we have left the good, and done the evil,
As did Cain the eldest son of Adam,
who killed his brother Abel without any cause,
Save only for that he was good,
And had his hope in the Lord, and not in any Creature.
Here we may take an example of the Law of Nature,
Which we have broken and transgressed,
We have sinned against the Creator, and offended the creature.
It was a noble Law that was given us by God,
And written in the heart of every man,
That he may there read it and keep, and teach righteousness,
And love God in his heart above every Creature,
And that he might fear and serve Him without any reserve,
There being none to be found in the holy Scriptures.
That he might likewise keep firm the marriage tie, that noble accord and contract,
And have peace with his Brethren, and love all other persons.
That he might hate Pride, and love Humility,
And do to others as he would be done by,
And if he did the contrary, that he should be punished.
Now few they were which kept well this Law,
And more were they who broke it,
Who forsook the Lord, not honouring Him,
But believed the Devil and his temptation,
Who loved too much the world, and too little the things of Heaven,
And served the Body more than the Spirit.
Wherefore we find that many have perished.
Here everyone may be reprehended that saith,
That God created not man to suffer him to perish,
But let everyone take heed, that it happeneth to him, as it did to them.
For the Deluge came and destroyed the wicked,
But God caused an Ark to be made, in which He saved the good.
So were the bad increased, and the good diminished,
That in all the world there were saved but eight persons.
We may be instructed hereby
To keep ourselves from evil, and that all ought to repent.
For Jesus Christ has said it, and in St. Luke it is written,
That all those shall perish that shall not do so.
Now to those which escaped, God made a Promise,
That the world should nevermore perish by water;
and they believing it were multiplied.
But that good which God did them they soon forgot,
Being men of little faith, and so great fear,
That they did not thoroughly believe the Words of the Lord.
But they believed that the Waters should again trouble the world,
And thought of building a tower to retire into,
Yea and they began it (as it is written)
Intending to make it so large, so high, and so great,
That the top thereof might reach to Heaven,
but alas they could not accomplish their design.
For they displeased God thereby,
the which also He then demonstrated.
This great City was called Babylon,
And now it is called confusion, by reason of its ruinous condition.
There was then but one only Language amongst men,
But that they might not understand each other, God made a division
That so they might not finish what they had began.
The which Languages then spread throughout all the World.
After this they sinned grievously, renouncing the Law, viz. that of Nature.
For the scripture saith, and it may be evidently proved,
That five Cities perished which did evil,
Being sentenced by God, to fire and brimstone.
Be destroyed the wicked, and the good He delivered,
Viz. Lot and his family, which the Angel brought out,
They were four, but one was condemned,
For the Woman looked back, breaking the command.
Here's now an Example for all Mankind,
That they ought to take heed of that which God forbids.
In those days lived Abraham a man well pleasing God,
Who begat a Patriarch of whom came the Jews,
And these were a noble People in the fear of the Lord,
Who lived in Egypt, amongst other wicked people,
Where they were oppressed and straightened a long time,
And but crying unto the Lord He sent unto them Moses,
And delivered His People and destroyed the other Nations.
They passed through the Red Sea, as through a dry and pleasant place,
But their enemies who persecuted them, perished all in the waters,
Many other signs did God then give to His People;
Feeding them forty years in the wilderness, and giving them the Law,
In two tables of stone, which He sent by Moses,
Which they found written, and nobly ordained.
This demonstrated that there was a Lord of all men,
Whom they ought to believe, and love with all their heart,
as likewise to fear and serve Him to the end,
And that everyone should love his Neighbour as himself:
That they should give counsel to Widows, and defend the fatherless,
That they should receive the poor into their houses, & clothe the naked,
That they should feed the hungry, and conduct the Traveller;
And in sum keep carefully this his Law,
Promising to those that kept it, the heavenly Kingdom.
He forbad service unto Idols,
Homicide, Adultery, and all sorts of whoredom,
Lying, Purjery, and false Witness,
Usury, Rapine, and evil Coveting,
As also Avarice, and all wickedness,
To the good He promised Life, but threatened Death to the wicked;
Then were they clothed in their principality:
But those who sinned and did wickedly
They died and were destroyed without remission:
For the Scripture says, and it is manifest enough,
That thirty thousand were left in the Wilderness,
Thirty thousand and more (as the Law saith)
Died by the sword, by fire, and serpents;
And many others were destroyed in another manner,
The Earth opening and hell receiving them.
And here we may have matter of reproving ourselves very seasonably,
But those which did the will of the Lord, inherited the Land of Promise;
Now there were in those days many Worthies,
As David, and Solomon the King,
Isaiah, Jeremy, and many others,
Which fought for the faith, and defended the same.
There was one only People chosen by God out of all the World.
The Enemies were in great number round about which persecuted them:
We have many things worth our learning and imitation in this Lesson:
When they kept the Law and the Commandments,
God fought for them against the other nations;
But when they sinned and did wickedly,
They died, were destroyed, and taken Captives by those other Nations.
But so enlarged were these people, and so abounding in riches,
That they kicked against the Lord,
Wherefore we find in this Lesson,
That the King of Babylon put them into prison,
Where they were oppressed and straightened a long time;
Then they cried to the Lord with a repentant heart;
And he restored them to Jerusalem,
but few there were that were obedient and kept the Law,
And that feared to offend their King.
Yea some there were, men full of deceit and falsehood,
viz. the Pharisees and others who were versed in Scripture,
These kept the Law, (as plainly appears)
Only that the World might see it, and to be the more honoured.
But little worth is this honour which soon vanisheth.
Then were the Saints persecuted, and those that were just and good;
Then they prayed unto the Lord with cries and tears,
That He would come down on earth and save this World:
For all mankind was in the way of perdition.
Then sent God the Angel to the noble Virgin of royal Descent,
Who sweetly saluted her according to the command of Him that sent him,
And after said unto her, fear not Marie,
For the Holy Ghost shall overshadow thee;
Thou shalt bear a Son whom thou shalt call Jesus,
He shall save his People from their sins.
Nine months the glorious Virgin bare him in her womb,
But that she might not be made a publick example, she was espousd by Joseph;
Pure was this Virgin and Joseph also.
But this we ought to believe, for the Scripture saith it,
That they put the Infant in the manger when it was born,
They wrapt Him in swaddling clothes, and lodg'd Him but very meanly.
Here may be reprehended those covetous and avaricious men,
Which never cease to heap up Riches together.
Now there were many Miracles wrought when the Lord was born:
In the East appeared a Star to the three Wise Men.
Glory was given to God on high, and on earth peace to the good.
Afterwards the little Childe suffered Persecution,
But the Infant increased in grace and age,
And in divine wisdom, in which he was instructed,
And called the twelve Apostles, which were rightly so named,
And would change the Law which He gave before;
He changed it not, that it should be abandoned,
But renewed it that it might be better kept;
He received Baptism for to give Salvation,
And commanded the Apostles to baptise the Nations,
(For then began the Renewing)
The ancient Law forbid fornication and adultery,
But the new reprehends looking and lusting after a Woman;
The old Law had power to make null marriage,
and that Bills of Divorcement might be given,
But the new faith, Thou shalt not marry her that is put away,
And what God hath joined let no man separate.
The old Law cursed the barren womb,
But the new counselleth to keep virginity,
The old Law forbiddeth only to forswear;
But the new faith, Swear not at all;
And that thy speech be no more than yea and Nay.
The old Law biddeth to fight against Enemies, and render evil for evil,
But the new one saith, Avenge not thyself,
But leave thy vengeance to thy heavenly King.
And let those live in peace which do thee hurt,
And then shalt thou find pardon with the heavenly King.
The old Law saith, Thou shalt love thy Friend, and hate thine Enemy,
But the new one saith, Thou shalt do no more so,
But ye shall love your Enemies, and do good to them that hate you,
And pray for them that persecute you, and seek for occasion against you,
That ye may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven.
The old Law saith, punish Malefactors,
But the new saith, Pardon all sorts of people,
And thou shalt find pardon with the Father Almighty,
For if thou dost not pardon, thou shalt not be saved.
None ought to kill or hate any person,
Much less ought we to mock either simple or poor men,
Nor despise the stranger which cometh from far.
For in this World we are all Pilgrims.
Thus all we that are Brethren ought to serve God.
And this is the new Law which Jesus Christ saith we ought to keep.
And he called the Apostles and commanded them
To go through the World, and teach all Nations,
To preach to Jews and Greeks, and all mankind,
And he gave them power over Serpents,
To drive away Devils, and heal the sick,
To raise the Dead, and cleanse the Lepers,
And to do to others as he had done to them;
To possess neither Gold nor Silver,
But to be content with Food and Raiment.
To love one another, and to be at peace.
Then he promised them the heavenly Kingdom,
And to those which were spiritually poor:
But he that should know who they are, would quickly number those,
That would be poor of their own accord;
Then he told them what should happen,
How he ought to die, and afterward rise again.
And he told them the Signs and Wonders
Which ought to happen before the end.
Many excellent Parables he spoke to them and the People,
Which were written in the New Testament.
But if we will love Christ, and know his Doctrine,
We ought to watch, and read the Scripture,
Where we may find when we shall read,
That only for doing well, Christ was persecuted;
He raised the Dead by Divine Power,
He made the blind to see, which never had seen,
He cleansed the Lepers, and made the Deaf to hear,
He cast out Devils, working many Miracles;
And by how much the more he did good, so much the more was he persecuted.
The Pharisees were they which persecuted him;
And the People of Herod, and others, viz. them of the Clergy:
For they envied him, because he was followed by the People;
Because they believed in him and his Commandments,
They sought how they might torment him and put him to death,
And for this reason spoke to Judas and made an agreement with him,
To deliver him for thirty Pieces of Silver.
Now Judas being covetous wrought the Treason,
And betrayed his Lord to those wicked men,
The Jews were they which crucified him,
Nailing fast his Feet and his Hands,
And putting a Crown of Thorns on his Head,
And speaking many Reproaches, they blasphemed him;
And when he said, he was thirsty,
they likewise gave him Gall and Vinegar to drink.
The Torments were so bitter and painfull,
That the Soul parted from the Body to save Sinners.
The Body having Suffered this, hung there upon the Cross
In the midst of two Thieves; they gave him four Wounds, besides other Blows.
And after that, the fifth, to accomplish the matter;
For, one of the Soldiers came and opened his Side,
And immediately there issued out Water and Blood mixed together,
Whereupon all the Apostles fled, but one returned,
And was there with two Women near unto the Cross,
All were very sorry, chiefly his Mother,
When she saw her Son dead and naked, fastened upon the Cross,
He was buried by the good, and watched by the wicked.
He rose out of the Grave the third Day,
And appeared to his Disciples, as he had said unto them;
Then were they possessed with great joy, when they saw the Lord,
And were confirmed, for before they feared greatly;
And he conversed with them until the Day of Ascension;
Then our Saviour ascended into Glory,
And said to his Disciples and other Followers,
That to the End of the World he would be with them.
But at the Feast of Pentecost he remembered them,
And sent them the Holy Ghost, which is the Comforter,
And taught the Apostles by Divine Doctrine,
And they understood the Languages and the holy Scripture,
And then they remembered what he had said.
They spoke without fear, of the Doctrine of Christ,
They preached to Jews and Greeks, working many Miracles;
And baptized those who believed in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Then was there a People new converted;
They were called Christians, for they believed in Christ.
But we find here that the Scripture saith,
That the Jews and Saracens persecuted them grievously.
But the Apostles were so fortified in the fear of the Lord,
And the Men and Women which were with them.
That for all that, they left neither speaking nor doing,
Whatsoever should come of it, so that they might have Jesus Christ.
The Torments were great, according to what is written,
Onely because they taught the way of Jesus Christ.
But as for the Persecutors we need not so much wonder,
For, they had not the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Like those who now seek occasion to persecute the Saints;
Which men ought to be Christians, but appear not to be such.
And in this they are to be blamed, for that they persecute and imprison the good;
For, it is not found any where,
That the Saints persecuted or imprisoned any.
Now after the Apostles, were certain Teachers,
Who taught the way of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
And these are found even at this present Day,
But they are known to very few,
Who have a great desire to teach the way of Jesus Christ,
But they are so persecuted, that they are able to do but little,
So much are the false Christians blinded with Error,
And more than the rest they that are Pastors,
For they persecute and hate those who are better than themselves,
And let those live quietly who are false Deceivers.
But by this we may know that they are not good Pastors,
For they love not the Sheep, but only for their Fleeces.
The Scripture saith, and it is evident,
That if any man love those who are good,
he must needs love God, and Jesus Christ.
Such an one will neither curse, swear, nor lye,
He will neither commit Adultery, nor kill;
he will neither defraud his Neighbour,
Nor avenge himself of his Enemies,
Now such an one is termed a Waldensian, and worthy to be punished,
And they finde occasion by lyes and by Deceit,
To take from him that which he has gotten by his just labour.
However, he that's thus persecuted for the fear of the Lord, strengthens himself greatly,
By this consideration, that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be given him at the end of the World.
Then he shall have a weight of glory in recompence for all such dishonour.
But herein is clearly manifest the malice of those men,
That they which will curse, lye, and swear,
He that will frequently put his Money to Usury, kill, and whore,
And avenge himself on those which hurt him;
This they say is a good man, and to be accounted faithfull.
But let him take heed he be not deceived at the end,
When he has received the stroke of Death, and when Death seizes on him,
and he becomes almost speechless,
Then he desires the Priest to confess him:
But according to the Scriptures he has delayed too long, for that commands us
To repent while we have time, and not to put it off till the last:
The Priest asketh him if he hath any sin,
He answers two or three words, and soon has done;
The Priest tells him he cannot be forgiven,
If he do not restore, and examine well his Faults:
When he hears this, he's very much troubled,
And thinks with himself, if he restore entirely,
What shall he leave his Children, and what will the World say?
Then he commandeth his Children to examine their faults,
And buyeth of the Priest his Absolution;
Though he hath a thousand Lives of another and a better Penny,
Yet the Priest acquits him for a hundred Pence,
And sometimes for less when he can get no more,
Telling him a large Story, and promising him Pardon,
That he'll say Mass for him, and for his Ancestours;
And thus he pardons them be they righteous or wicked,
Laying his Hand upon their Heads,
(But when he leaves them, he maketh the better chear)
And telling him that he is very well absolved.
But alas they are but sadly confessed who are thus faulty,
And will certainly be deceived in such an Absolution,
And he that maketh him believe it sinneth mortally.
For, I dare say, and it is very true,
That all the Popes which have been from Silvester to this present,
And all Cardinals, Bishops, Abbots, and the like,
Have no power to absolve or pardon,
Any creature so much as one mortal sin;
'Tis God alone who pardons, and no other.
But this ought they to do who are Pastours,
They ought to preach to the People, and pray with them,
And feed them often with divine Doctrine;
And chastise the Sinners with Discipline,
Viz. by declaring that they ought to repent.
First, that they confess their sins freely and fully,
And that they repent in this present life,
That they fast and give Alms, and pray with a fervent heart,
For, by these things the Soul findes Salvation:
Wherefore we Christians which have sinned
And forsaken the Law of Jesus Christ,
Having neither Fear, Faith, nor Love,
We must confess our sins without any delay,
We must amend with weeping and repentance,
The offences which we have committed, & for those three mortal sins,
To wit, for the Lust of the Eye, the Lusts of the Flesh, and the Pride of Life,
through which we have done evil;
We must keep this way.
If we will love and follow Jesus Christ,
We must have spiritual poverty of heart,
And love Charity, and serve God humbly,
For, so we may follow the way of Jesus Christ,
And thus we may overcome our Enemies.
There is a brief Rehearsal in this Lesson,
Of three laws which God gave to the World;
The first Law directeth men who have judgment and reason,
Viz. to know God, and to pray to his Creatour.
For he that hath judgment, may well think with himself,
That he formed not himself, nor anything else:
Then here he who hath judgment and reason may know,
That there's one Lord God who created all the World,
And knowing him, he ought much to honour him;
For, they were damned that would not do it.
The second Law which God gave to Moses,
Teacheth us to fear God, and to serve him with all our strength;
For he condemneth and punisheth every one that offends.
But the third Law which is at this present time,
Teacheth us to love God, and serve him purely:
For he waiteth for the Sinner, and giveth him time,
That he may repent in this present life.
As for any other Law to come after we shall have none.
Save onely to imitate Jesus Christ, and to do his will,
And keep fast that which he commands us,
And to be well forewarned when Antichrist shall come.
That we may believe neither to his words nor to his works,
Now according to the Scripture, there are already many Antichrists.
For, all those which are contrary to Christ, are Antichrists.
Many Signs and great Wonders Shall be from this time forward untill the Day of Judgment,
The Heaven and the Earth shall burn, and all the Living die.
After which all shall arise to everlasting Life,
And all Buildings shall be laid flat.
Then shall be the last Judgment,
When God shall separate his People, according as it is written,
To the wicked he shall say, Depart ye from me into Hell Fire, which never shall be quenched;
With grievous Punishments there to be straitened;
By multitude of Pains, and sharp torment:
For you shall be damned without remedy.
From which God delivered us, if it be his blessed will,
And give us to hear that which he shall say to his Elect without delay;
Come hither ye blessed of my Father,
Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World,
Where you shall have Pleasure, Riches and Honour.
May it please the Lord which formed the World,
That we may be of the number of his Elect to dwell in his Court for ever.
Praised be God. Amen.
I read it and saw a couple of places where it went a bit off course but for the most part it stuck straight to Scripture. It appears to me to be a summary of all the Scriptures and as I read it and pondered over it after reading it, I found myself thinking that if that poem were all one ever had of the Scriptures "it would be enough" (as I told my husband).
I could picture people in the early centuries doing their best to recall the Scriptures shared with them by the Apostles or overseers writing out just such a poem. I could see myself doing it if I had no access to a Bible. I could well imagine carrying that poem around in my pocket or hiding it away somewhere if the law forbade owning it. I could easily see how my soul would be stirred at the reading or reciting of it.
And I can well understand why the need for such a poem was there. When there are no written and preserved Scriptures, or when you cannot get your hands on a copy of them....what do you do?
It's long and I hesitate to share it here for that reason but I'm going to do just that:
THE NOBLA LEYCON
(Noble Lesson)
The "Noble Lesson" written in the Language of the ancient inhabitants of the Valleys (The Waldenses); in the Year 1100. Extracted out of a most authentic manuscript, the true original whereof is to be seen in the public library of the famous University of Cambridge. "The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont." by Samuel Morland. 1658. CHRAA. 1982. p.99
"O Brethren, give ear to a noble lesson.
We ought always to watch and pray,
For we see the world nigh to a conclusion.
We ought to strive to do good works,
Seeing that the end of this world approacheth.
There are already a thousand and one hundred years fully accomplished,
Since it was written thus, for we are in the last time.
We ought to covet little, for we are at what remains, viz. at the later end.
We see daily the Signs to be accomplished,
And that in the increase of evil, and decrease of good.
These are the perils which the scripture mentioneth,
In the Gospels and St.Paul's Writings:
As also, that no man living can know the end.
And therefore we ought the more to fear, as not being certain,
Whether we shall die to day or tomorrow.
But when the day of judgement shall come,
Every one shall receive their full reward.
Those that shall have done either well or ill.
Now the Scripture saith, and we ought to believe it,
That all men shall pass two ways.
The good to glory, and the wicked to torment.
But he that shall not believe this departure,
Let him search the Scripture from the very beginning,
Since Adam was formed until this present time,
There he shall find, if he has understanding,
That few are the saved in comparison of the rest.
Wherefore every one that will do good works,
The honour of God the Father ought to be his first moving principle.
He ought likewise to implore the aid of His glorious Son, the dear Son of the Virgin Mary,
And the Holy Ghost which lightens us in the true way.
These three (the holy Trinity) as being but one God, ought to be called upon,
Full of power wisdom and goodness.
This we ought often to beg and pray for,
That He would enable us to encounter our enemies,
And overcome them before our end,
Which are the world, the Devil, and the flesh:
And that He would give us wisdom accompanied with goodness,
That we may know the way of life,
And keep pure that Soul and Body in way of charity,
So as we love the holy Trinity,
And our neighbour, for God hath commanded it.
Not only those that do us good, but those also which harm us.
Having hope in the King of Heaven,
That in the end He may receive us into His glorious habitation.
Now we who shall not do what is contained in this Lesson,
Shall never enter into this house.
Though it be never to hard to be received by the wicked,
Which love Gold and Silver,
Which have the promises of God in contempt,
Who neither keep His Law and Commandments,
Nor suffer those who would to keep them,
But rather hinder them to the utmost of their power.
How came this evil to enter into mankind?
Because Adam sinned at the first beginning,
By eating of the forbidden Apple.
And thus the grain of evil seed taking root in others,
He brought Death to himself and all his Posterity;
Well may we say, this was an evil morsel;
However Christ has redeemed the good by his death and passion.
But alas we find in this Lesson,
that Adam believed not God his Creator,
Yea and we may see likewise, that nowadays
Men forsake God the Father Almighty,
And believe in Idols to their own Destruction.
That which the Law forbids,
which was from the beginning,
Called the Law of Nature, common to all sorts,
Which God put into the heart of that man whom he first formed.
Giving him a power of doing good or evil,
But commanding him to do the good, and eschew the evil.
And this you may see was ill observed,
For that we have left the good, and done the evil,
As did Cain the eldest son of Adam,
who killed his brother Abel without any cause,
Save only for that he was good,
And had his hope in the Lord, and not in any Creature.
Here we may take an example of the Law of Nature,
Which we have broken and transgressed,
We have sinned against the Creator, and offended the creature.
It was a noble Law that was given us by God,
And written in the heart of every man,
That he may there read it and keep, and teach righteousness,
And love God in his heart above every Creature,
And that he might fear and serve Him without any reserve,
There being none to be found in the holy Scriptures.
That he might likewise keep firm the marriage tie, that noble accord and contract,
And have peace with his Brethren, and love all other persons.
That he might hate Pride, and love Humility,
And do to others as he would be done by,
And if he did the contrary, that he should be punished.
Now few they were which kept well this Law,
And more were they who broke it,
Who forsook the Lord, not honouring Him,
But believed the Devil and his temptation,
Who loved too much the world, and too little the things of Heaven,
And served the Body more than the Spirit.
Wherefore we find that many have perished.
Here everyone may be reprehended that saith,
That God created not man to suffer him to perish,
But let everyone take heed, that it happeneth to him, as it did to them.
For the Deluge came and destroyed the wicked,
But God caused an Ark to be made, in which He saved the good.
So were the bad increased, and the good diminished,
That in all the world there were saved but eight persons.
We may be instructed hereby
To keep ourselves from evil, and that all ought to repent.
For Jesus Christ has said it, and in St. Luke it is written,
That all those shall perish that shall not do so.
Now to those which escaped, God made a Promise,
That the world should nevermore perish by water;
and they believing it were multiplied.
But that good which God did them they soon forgot,
Being men of little faith, and so great fear,
That they did not thoroughly believe the Words of the Lord.
But they believed that the Waters should again trouble the world,
And thought of building a tower to retire into,
Yea and they began it (as it is written)
Intending to make it so large, so high, and so great,
That the top thereof might reach to Heaven,
but alas they could not accomplish their design.
For they displeased God thereby,
the which also He then demonstrated.
This great City was called Babylon,
And now it is called confusion, by reason of its ruinous condition.
There was then but one only Language amongst men,
But that they might not understand each other, God made a division
That so they might not finish what they had began.
The which Languages then spread throughout all the World.
After this they sinned grievously, renouncing the Law, viz. that of Nature.
For the scripture saith, and it may be evidently proved,
That five Cities perished which did evil,
Being sentenced by God, to fire and brimstone.
Be destroyed the wicked, and the good He delivered,
Viz. Lot and his family, which the Angel brought out,
They were four, but one was condemned,
For the Woman looked back, breaking the command.
Here's now an Example for all Mankind,
That they ought to take heed of that which God forbids.
In those days lived Abraham a man well pleasing God,
Who begat a Patriarch of whom came the Jews,
And these were a noble People in the fear of the Lord,
Who lived in Egypt, amongst other wicked people,
Where they were oppressed and straightened a long time,
And but crying unto the Lord He sent unto them Moses,
And delivered His People and destroyed the other Nations.
They passed through the Red Sea, as through a dry and pleasant place,
But their enemies who persecuted them, perished all in the waters,
Many other signs did God then give to His People;
Feeding them forty years in the wilderness, and giving them the Law,
In two tables of stone, which He sent by Moses,
Which they found written, and nobly ordained.
This demonstrated that there was a Lord of all men,
Whom they ought to believe, and love with all their heart,
as likewise to fear and serve Him to the end,
And that everyone should love his Neighbour as himself:
That they should give counsel to Widows, and defend the fatherless,
That they should receive the poor into their houses, & clothe the naked,
That they should feed the hungry, and conduct the Traveller;
And in sum keep carefully this his Law,
Promising to those that kept it, the heavenly Kingdom.
He forbad service unto Idols,
Homicide, Adultery, and all sorts of whoredom,
Lying, Purjery, and false Witness,
Usury, Rapine, and evil Coveting,
As also Avarice, and all wickedness,
To the good He promised Life, but threatened Death to the wicked;
Then were they clothed in their principality:
But those who sinned and did wickedly
They died and were destroyed without remission:
For the Scripture says, and it is manifest enough,
That thirty thousand were left in the Wilderness,
Thirty thousand and more (as the Law saith)
Died by the sword, by fire, and serpents;
And many others were destroyed in another manner,
The Earth opening and hell receiving them.
And here we may have matter of reproving ourselves very seasonably,
But those which did the will of the Lord, inherited the Land of Promise;
Now there were in those days many Worthies,
As David, and Solomon the King,
Isaiah, Jeremy, and many others,
Which fought for the faith, and defended the same.
There was one only People chosen by God out of all the World.
The Enemies were in great number round about which persecuted them:
We have many things worth our learning and imitation in this Lesson:
When they kept the Law and the Commandments,
God fought for them against the other nations;
But when they sinned and did wickedly,
They died, were destroyed, and taken Captives by those other Nations.
But so enlarged were these people, and so abounding in riches,
That they kicked against the Lord,
Wherefore we find in this Lesson,
That the King of Babylon put them into prison,
Where they were oppressed and straightened a long time;
Then they cried to the Lord with a repentant heart;
And he restored them to Jerusalem,
but few there were that were obedient and kept the Law,
And that feared to offend their King.
Yea some there were, men full of deceit and falsehood,
viz. the Pharisees and others who were versed in Scripture,
These kept the Law, (as plainly appears)
Only that the World might see it, and to be the more honoured.
But little worth is this honour which soon vanisheth.
Then were the Saints persecuted, and those that were just and good;
Then they prayed unto the Lord with cries and tears,
That He would come down on earth and save this World:
For all mankind was in the way of perdition.
Then sent God the Angel to the noble Virgin of royal Descent,
Who sweetly saluted her according to the command of Him that sent him,
And after said unto her, fear not Marie,
For the Holy Ghost shall overshadow thee;
Thou shalt bear a Son whom thou shalt call Jesus,
He shall save his People from their sins.
Nine months the glorious Virgin bare him in her womb,
But that she might not be made a publick example, she was espousd by Joseph;
Pure was this Virgin and Joseph also.
But this we ought to believe, for the Scripture saith it,
That they put the Infant in the manger when it was born,
They wrapt Him in swaddling clothes, and lodg'd Him but very meanly.
Here may be reprehended those covetous and avaricious men,
Which never cease to heap up Riches together.
Now there were many Miracles wrought when the Lord was born:
In the East appeared a Star to the three Wise Men.
Glory was given to God on high, and on earth peace to the good.
Afterwards the little Childe suffered Persecution,
But the Infant increased in grace and age,
And in divine wisdom, in which he was instructed,
And called the twelve Apostles, which were rightly so named,
And would change the Law which He gave before;
He changed it not, that it should be abandoned,
But renewed it that it might be better kept;
He received Baptism for to give Salvation,
And commanded the Apostles to baptise the Nations,
(For then began the Renewing)
The ancient Law forbid fornication and adultery,
But the new reprehends looking and lusting after a Woman;
The old Law had power to make null marriage,
and that Bills of Divorcement might be given,
But the new faith, Thou shalt not marry her that is put away,
And what God hath joined let no man separate.
The old Law cursed the barren womb,
But the new counselleth to keep virginity,
The old Law forbiddeth only to forswear;
But the new faith, Swear not at all;
And that thy speech be no more than yea and Nay.
The old Law biddeth to fight against Enemies, and render evil for evil,
But the new one saith, Avenge not thyself,
But leave thy vengeance to thy heavenly King.
And let those live in peace which do thee hurt,
And then shalt thou find pardon with the heavenly King.
The old Law saith, Thou shalt love thy Friend, and hate thine Enemy,
But the new one saith, Thou shalt do no more so,
But ye shall love your Enemies, and do good to them that hate you,
And pray for them that persecute you, and seek for occasion against you,
That ye may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven.
The old Law saith, punish Malefactors,
But the new saith, Pardon all sorts of people,
And thou shalt find pardon with the Father Almighty,
For if thou dost not pardon, thou shalt not be saved.
None ought to kill or hate any person,
Much less ought we to mock either simple or poor men,
Nor despise the stranger which cometh from far.
For in this World we are all Pilgrims.
Thus all we that are Brethren ought to serve God.
And this is the new Law which Jesus Christ saith we ought to keep.
And he called the Apostles and commanded them
To go through the World, and teach all Nations,
To preach to Jews and Greeks, and all mankind,
And he gave them power over Serpents,
To drive away Devils, and heal the sick,
To raise the Dead, and cleanse the Lepers,
And to do to others as he had done to them;
To possess neither Gold nor Silver,
But to be content with Food and Raiment.
To love one another, and to be at peace.
Then he promised them the heavenly Kingdom,
And to those which were spiritually poor:
But he that should know who they are, would quickly number those,
That would be poor of their own accord;
Then he told them what should happen,
How he ought to die, and afterward rise again.
And he told them the Signs and Wonders
Which ought to happen before the end.
Many excellent Parables he spoke to them and the People,
Which were written in the New Testament.
But if we will love Christ, and know his Doctrine,
We ought to watch, and read the Scripture,
Where we may find when we shall read,
That only for doing well, Christ was persecuted;
He raised the Dead by Divine Power,
He made the blind to see, which never had seen,
He cleansed the Lepers, and made the Deaf to hear,
He cast out Devils, working many Miracles;
And by how much the more he did good, so much the more was he persecuted.
The Pharisees were they which persecuted him;
And the People of Herod, and others, viz. them of the Clergy:
For they envied him, because he was followed by the People;
Because they believed in him and his Commandments,
They sought how they might torment him and put him to death,
And for this reason spoke to Judas and made an agreement with him,
To deliver him for thirty Pieces of Silver.
Now Judas being covetous wrought the Treason,
And betrayed his Lord to those wicked men,
The Jews were they which crucified him,
Nailing fast his Feet and his Hands,
And putting a Crown of Thorns on his Head,
And speaking many Reproaches, they blasphemed him;
And when he said, he was thirsty,
they likewise gave him Gall and Vinegar to drink.
The Torments were so bitter and painfull,
That the Soul parted from the Body to save Sinners.
The Body having Suffered this, hung there upon the Cross
In the midst of two Thieves; they gave him four Wounds, besides other Blows.
And after that, the fifth, to accomplish the matter;
For, one of the Soldiers came and opened his Side,
And immediately there issued out Water and Blood mixed together,
Whereupon all the Apostles fled, but one returned,
And was there with two Women near unto the Cross,
All were very sorry, chiefly his Mother,
When she saw her Son dead and naked, fastened upon the Cross,
He was buried by the good, and watched by the wicked.
He rose out of the Grave the third Day,
And appeared to his Disciples, as he had said unto them;
Then were they possessed with great joy, when they saw the Lord,
And were confirmed, for before they feared greatly;
And he conversed with them until the Day of Ascension;
Then our Saviour ascended into Glory,
And said to his Disciples and other Followers,
That to the End of the World he would be with them.
But at the Feast of Pentecost he remembered them,
And sent them the Holy Ghost, which is the Comforter,
And taught the Apostles by Divine Doctrine,
And they understood the Languages and the holy Scripture,
And then they remembered what he had said.
They spoke without fear, of the Doctrine of Christ,
They preached to Jews and Greeks, working many Miracles;
And baptized those who believed in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Then was there a People new converted;
They were called Christians, for they believed in Christ.
But we find here that the Scripture saith,
That the Jews and Saracens persecuted them grievously.
But the Apostles were so fortified in the fear of the Lord,
And the Men and Women which were with them.
That for all that, they left neither speaking nor doing,
Whatsoever should come of it, so that they might have Jesus Christ.
The Torments were great, according to what is written,
Onely because they taught the way of Jesus Christ.
But as for the Persecutors we need not so much wonder,
For, they had not the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Like those who now seek occasion to persecute the Saints;
Which men ought to be Christians, but appear not to be such.
And in this they are to be blamed, for that they persecute and imprison the good;
For, it is not found any where,
That the Saints persecuted or imprisoned any.
Now after the Apostles, were certain Teachers,
Who taught the way of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
And these are found even at this present Day,
But they are known to very few,
Who have a great desire to teach the way of Jesus Christ,
But they are so persecuted, that they are able to do but little,
So much are the false Christians blinded with Error,
And more than the rest they that are Pastors,
For they persecute and hate those who are better than themselves,
And let those live quietly who are false Deceivers.
But by this we may know that they are not good Pastors,
For they love not the Sheep, but only for their Fleeces.
The Scripture saith, and it is evident,
That if any man love those who are good,
he must needs love God, and Jesus Christ.
Such an one will neither curse, swear, nor lye,
He will neither commit Adultery, nor kill;
he will neither defraud his Neighbour,
Nor avenge himself of his Enemies,
Now such an one is termed a Waldensian, and worthy to be punished,
And they finde occasion by lyes and by Deceit,
To take from him that which he has gotten by his just labour.
However, he that's thus persecuted for the fear of the Lord, strengthens himself greatly,
By this consideration, that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be given him at the end of the World.
Then he shall have a weight of glory in recompence for all such dishonour.
But herein is clearly manifest the malice of those men,
That they which will curse, lye, and swear,
He that will frequently put his Money to Usury, kill, and whore,
And avenge himself on those which hurt him;
This they say is a good man, and to be accounted faithfull.
But let him take heed he be not deceived at the end,
When he has received the stroke of Death, and when Death seizes on him,
and he becomes almost speechless,
Then he desires the Priest to confess him:
But according to the Scriptures he has delayed too long, for that commands us
To repent while we have time, and not to put it off till the last:
The Priest asketh him if he hath any sin,
He answers two or three words, and soon has done;
The Priest tells him he cannot be forgiven,
If he do not restore, and examine well his Faults:
When he hears this, he's very much troubled,
And thinks with himself, if he restore entirely,
What shall he leave his Children, and what will the World say?
Then he commandeth his Children to examine their faults,
And buyeth of the Priest his Absolution;
Though he hath a thousand Lives of another and a better Penny,
Yet the Priest acquits him for a hundred Pence,
And sometimes for less when he can get no more,
Telling him a large Story, and promising him Pardon,
That he'll say Mass for him, and for his Ancestours;
And thus he pardons them be they righteous or wicked,
Laying his Hand upon their Heads,
(But when he leaves them, he maketh the better chear)
And telling him that he is very well absolved.
But alas they are but sadly confessed who are thus faulty,
And will certainly be deceived in such an Absolution,
And he that maketh him believe it sinneth mortally.
For, I dare say, and it is very true,
That all the Popes which have been from Silvester to this present,
And all Cardinals, Bishops, Abbots, and the like,
Have no power to absolve or pardon,
Any creature so much as one mortal sin;
'Tis God alone who pardons, and no other.
But this ought they to do who are Pastours,
They ought to preach to the People, and pray with them,
And feed them often with divine Doctrine;
And chastise the Sinners with Discipline,
Viz. by declaring that they ought to repent.
First, that they confess their sins freely and fully,
And that they repent in this present life,
That they fast and give Alms, and pray with a fervent heart,
For, by these things the Soul findes Salvation:
Wherefore we Christians which have sinned
And forsaken the Law of Jesus Christ,
Having neither Fear, Faith, nor Love,
We must confess our sins without any delay,
We must amend with weeping and repentance,
The offences which we have committed, & for those three mortal sins,
To wit, for the Lust of the Eye, the Lusts of the Flesh, and the Pride of Life,
through which we have done evil;
We must keep this way.
If we will love and follow Jesus Christ,
We must have spiritual poverty of heart,
And love Charity, and serve God humbly,
For, so we may follow the way of Jesus Christ,
And thus we may overcome our Enemies.
There is a brief Rehearsal in this Lesson,
Of three laws which God gave to the World;
The first Law directeth men who have judgment and reason,
Viz. to know God, and to pray to his Creatour.
For he that hath judgment, may well think with himself,
That he formed not himself, nor anything else:
Then here he who hath judgment and reason may know,
That there's one Lord God who created all the World,
And knowing him, he ought much to honour him;
For, they were damned that would not do it.
The second Law which God gave to Moses,
Teacheth us to fear God, and to serve him with all our strength;
For he condemneth and punisheth every one that offends.
But the third Law which is at this present time,
Teacheth us to love God, and serve him purely:
For he waiteth for the Sinner, and giveth him time,
That he may repent in this present life.
As for any other Law to come after we shall have none.
Save onely to imitate Jesus Christ, and to do his will,
And keep fast that which he commands us,
And to be well forewarned when Antichrist shall come.
That we may believe neither to his words nor to his works,
Now according to the Scripture, there are already many Antichrists.
For, all those which are contrary to Christ, are Antichrists.
Many Signs and great Wonders Shall be from this time forward untill the Day of Judgment,
The Heaven and the Earth shall burn, and all the Living die.
After which all shall arise to everlasting Life,
And all Buildings shall be laid flat.
Then shall be the last Judgment,
When God shall separate his People, according as it is written,
To the wicked he shall say, Depart ye from me into Hell Fire, which never shall be quenched;
With grievous Punishments there to be straitened;
By multitude of Pains, and sharp torment:
For you shall be damned without remedy.
From which God delivered us, if it be his blessed will,
And give us to hear that which he shall say to his Elect without delay;
Come hither ye blessed of my Father,
Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World,
Where you shall have Pleasure, Riches and Honour.
May it please the Lord which formed the World,
That we may be of the number of his Elect to dwell in his Court for ever.
Praised be God. Amen.
I read it and saw a couple of places where it went a bit off course but for the most part it stuck straight to Scripture. It appears to me to be a summary of all the Scriptures and as I read it and pondered over it after reading it, I found myself thinking that if that poem were all one ever had of the Scriptures "it would be enough" (as I told my husband).
I could picture people in the early centuries doing their best to recall the Scriptures shared with them by the Apostles or overseers writing out just such a poem. I could see myself doing it if I had no access to a Bible. I could well imagine carrying that poem around in my pocket or hiding it away somewhere if the law forbade owning it. I could easily see how my soul would be stirred at the reading or reciting of it.
And I can well understand why the need for such a poem was there. When there are no written and preserved Scriptures, or when you cannot get your hands on a copy of them....what do you do?
Whether or not these early people, the Waldenses and the others, really could trace their history and faith to the Apostles or not, there were people that could. Maybe they moved off in the mountains or the countryside to separate from all the false teachings, teachings that were taking hold well enough that 'churches' as we know them now were starting to form, or maybe they lived hiding in plain site.
Maybe the elect mingled with the reprobates, attending Roman Catholic 'Churches' and doing their best to stay unnoticed under the laws placed upon them. History says people were killed, tortured, burned at the stake for owning Bibles in times when they were illegal. These people were living somewhere until they were caught as 'outlaws' and punished for the 'crime' of owning a Bible or believing in Christ.
And so my imagination goes forward in time, trying hard to picture what life was like for those that had no Bibles, or were outlawed from owning one. The elect and any sincere believer would have found a way. They would have memorized Scripture heard, or written poems or stories, as a way of preserving what they knew of Scripture. They would have spoken in secret, possibly through written letters, writing of Scripture, sharing it with each other, unless the danger of doing so was just too high.
I can imagine myself in those days, a wife, a mother. Having been drawn to Christ despite my best intentions. Who in their right mind would choose to believe this protestant teaching when to do so meant death? I fought tooth and nail trying to avoid admitting, even to myself, what I knew to be true. Somehow, someway, I was drawn to Christ and now my soul seeks for Him.
I listen hard for any mention of the true Christ, not the made up Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church. I hear snippets of stories passed down from ages past, stories of men that died to bring the word of Christ into the world and now I fear I might meet the same fate, but worse...I watched a family be tortured and burned last week for the very same faith I now hold against my deepest wishes.
They beat a small child because it's parents believed in the Christ of Protestantism. They yanked a newborn baby from it's mothers arms and threw it to the ground.
I hold my own child closer, watch my older children at play. They are innocent of everything I tried so hard not to do. I cannot let anyone know what now resides in my heart. My soul cries out for a copy of the Bibles that people are dying for but I cannot so much as look at one. My children's lives depend on it. My heart aches to hear more of Christ and His teachings but all I can do is absorb the snippets I hear around town while pretending not to care.
I must sit in Mass and listen to lies being spoken, watch brothers and sisters in Christ killed for the same faith I hold, and pretend not to care. My children's lives depend on it.
Speaking up, telling all who will listen about my newfound, and almost unwelcome, faith would do no good. They would torture and kill my entire family. So I hide in secrecy, absorbing what I can, praying in my head and heart, appearing to fit in with the approved system but living in rebellion of it.
I am only making an assumption here based off the bits of history I was able to piece together. Scripture tells us that throughout all time the Lord kept a remnant for himself. We can't know the means through which He did that. Maybe it was by having His people live in protected lands or maybe it was by having them hide in plain site. I do not know.
But somehow...someway...time passed from those early centuries when Scripture was preserved only through people to today when it has long since been made perfect...it has been completed. The Apostle's work finished and their lives on earth ceased, elders rose up in their place, keeping the very Word of God going, guarding it, preserving it, handing it on to the next overseer, until it reached the point where the Scriptures were intact and put into manuscripts which later became the Bible as we know it.
And while all that was happening the 'church' system was rising up too. We need look no further than the nearest 'church' to see that they are all modeled after each other. And we need only compare their systems to the Levitical system of the Old Testament to see where that model came from.
And the further I get into the teachings of men the more I see there is no end to this subject, or at least I cannot see where the end might be.
Maybe the elect mingled with the reprobates, attending Roman Catholic 'Churches' and doing their best to stay unnoticed under the laws placed upon them. History says people were killed, tortured, burned at the stake for owning Bibles in times when they were illegal. These people were living somewhere until they were caught as 'outlaws' and punished for the 'crime' of owning a Bible or believing in Christ.
And so my imagination goes forward in time, trying hard to picture what life was like for those that had no Bibles, or were outlawed from owning one. The elect and any sincere believer would have found a way. They would have memorized Scripture heard, or written poems or stories, as a way of preserving what they knew of Scripture. They would have spoken in secret, possibly through written letters, writing of Scripture, sharing it with each other, unless the danger of doing so was just too high.
I can imagine myself in those days, a wife, a mother. Having been drawn to Christ despite my best intentions. Who in their right mind would choose to believe this protestant teaching when to do so meant death? I fought tooth and nail trying to avoid admitting, even to myself, what I knew to be true. Somehow, someway, I was drawn to Christ and now my soul seeks for Him.
I listen hard for any mention of the true Christ, not the made up Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church. I hear snippets of stories passed down from ages past, stories of men that died to bring the word of Christ into the world and now I fear I might meet the same fate, but worse...I watched a family be tortured and burned last week for the very same faith I now hold against my deepest wishes.
They beat a small child because it's parents believed in the Christ of Protestantism. They yanked a newborn baby from it's mothers arms and threw it to the ground.
I hold my own child closer, watch my older children at play. They are innocent of everything I tried so hard not to do. I cannot let anyone know what now resides in my heart. My soul cries out for a copy of the Bibles that people are dying for but I cannot so much as look at one. My children's lives depend on it. My heart aches to hear more of Christ and His teachings but all I can do is absorb the snippets I hear around town while pretending not to care.
I must sit in Mass and listen to lies being spoken, watch brothers and sisters in Christ killed for the same faith I hold, and pretend not to care. My children's lives depend on it.
Speaking up, telling all who will listen about my newfound, and almost unwelcome, faith would do no good. They would torture and kill my entire family. So I hide in secrecy, absorbing what I can, praying in my head and heart, appearing to fit in with the approved system but living in rebellion of it.
I am only making an assumption here based off the bits of history I was able to piece together. Scripture tells us that throughout all time the Lord kept a remnant for himself. We can't know the means through which He did that. Maybe it was by having His people live in protected lands or maybe it was by having them hide in plain site. I do not know.
But somehow...someway...time passed from those early centuries when Scripture was preserved only through people to today when it has long since been made perfect...it has been completed. The Apostle's work finished and their lives on earth ceased, elders rose up in their place, keeping the very Word of God going, guarding it, preserving it, handing it on to the next overseer, until it reached the point where the Scriptures were intact and put into manuscripts which later became the Bible as we know it.
And while all that was happening the 'church' system was rising up too. We need look no further than the nearest 'church' to see that they are all modeled after each other. And we need only compare their systems to the Levitical system of the Old Testament to see where that model came from.
And the further I get into the teachings of men the more I see there is no end to this subject, or at least I cannot see where the end might be.
This study has taken my husband and I ever deeper into the teachings of men and shown us much as we have compared Scripture upon Scripture to itself and pitted it against life as we know it and tried hard to pick life apart so that we can remove any teachings of men we ever learned and put Scripture and Scripture alone in their place.
I think my husband said it best when he said, 'I wish I had never learned anything from the teachings of men'.
I had no choice in the matter, I grew up in 'church' and was raised on the 'church' version of Jesus. I am grateful for that because the Lord uses all things in our lives to make us what He wants us to be and somehow those 'churches' and their teachings in my childhood played a role in my election and where the Lord has me today.
Still, I can only imagine what life might be like had I somehow grown up insulated from all the teachings of men, something very hard to do when their ideas infiltrate our very Bibles. Had I somehow been placed on a deserted island somewhere or at the top of a mountain, left with a copy of the Scriptures, from infancy and no outside teachings of men to influence my understandings of the Scriptures...oh how glorious that would be.
To understand the Lord's word without any preconceived ideas or subtle messages hidden within it (or my own mind).
That wasn't the case though as the Lord has a reason for everything He has done in my life. Just as He all but gift wrapped this study on the teachings of men and handed it to me...he has more in store.
My husband told me yesterday, 'I know what our next study will be.'
And that study ties into the teachings of men. I have in my mind and on my heart to delve deeper into how our Bibles have been subtly made to support the 'church' system. I've long since been opposed to the history behind the King James Bible even though I cannot dispute that it appears to be a pretty accurate translation. What I didn't realize though, is that while I was opposing this old Bible version, the original of which is not even the Bible held in our hands when we hold the 'Authorized' version today, that even the generally accepted and promoted modern versions of Scripture show a subtle message when one really delves into them.
And so I pull this part of the teachings of men to a close, leaving behind the ancient days, the days when Scripture came into the world under the New Covenant. I leave behind the Apostles and the overseers of old, and move forward in time. To today. To the modern 'church', to the modern Bibles, to...
Wherever the Lord leads.
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