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Christian Marriage - A Liberating Theology
Click Here to Read Pastor Don's Article Explaining Adultery In Your Heart - It's Not What You Think
Hi, I'm Pastor Don Milton. Read my Christian Romance Novel, The Prince of Sumba right here online. This End Times Christian Novel takes place in THE PHILIPPINES! Read about Ishmael David, the missionary, and his wife Mary. Follow them from their touch down in Cagayan de Oro to the mission fields of The Islamic City of Marawi. Witness the events in the lives of the Single Christian Ladies on Fire For The Lord. Click Below to start reading! Will you be part of the End Times? Read and find out. Every Single Christian Lady Must Read This Novel! Chapters:
[Prologue]
[1]
[2] [3]
[4]
[5] [6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
Are you in chains? Are you spiritually bound by cultural and personal biases that prevent you from enjoying the abundant life spoken of by Jesus? Maybe you have a burden to help others free themselves from such chains or maybe you'd just like to gain a deeper knowledge of the scriptures. Christian Marriage - What is it?God explains His relationship to us is through the metaphor of marriage and so we are, spiritually speaking, God's wives. It is therefore important for us to know what a husband should expect of a wife as well as what a wife should expect of a husband. This knowledge will not only improve our relationship with the Lord but it will clarify what is expected of us in our own marriages.
Just as a Wife has Marital Rights, a Christian has Believer Rights.I'll bet you've never heard that before. However, you've certainly heard the old tune "Standing on the promises of God." So it shouldn't be difficult to understand that being "married to God" has its benefits. God has indeed made promises to us. We are not, however, to be demanding of God that we receive what He has promised. We are to be thankful and in awe that He can indeed protect us and deliver us from all adversities that we cannot bear without His help.
All Believers Need to Know the Responsibilities of Being a Wife.
Christian marriage has an importance not just to those who are married but to all Christians. So what are the benefits and obligations of being "married" to God? To know that you must learn exactly how the Bible defines marriage and that is exactly what I will set out to teach here. Marriage is a relationship far beyond the fairy tale romances that many of us grew up hearing. There are far more freedoms and far more responsibilities than most of us were taught. To enter the members only area and start learning your first lesson; The Proverbs 31:10 Believer, Click Here - It's FREE
Read the Bible in one Year, Click Here!
"We are not going to violate their civil rights
until we have an outcry, a complaint, and I've said that from day one."
Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran
Another way to read Doran's statement is this:
"After we have an outcry, a complaint: WE
WILL VIOLATE THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS."
The likelihood that a child will be abused while in
[Texas] foster care is greater than if they were left where they are. (Bolton, Laner, and Gai, 1981; Pryor, 1991; Spencer and Knudsen, 1992.)1
For the government to remove five hundred and thirty four American (534) citizens in Texas from their homes and put them into the care of homosexuals, fornicators, adulteresses, and worse -- teens with STDs is; well, you tell me what it is. When historians look back at the draconian measures taken against non-Muslims practicing polygamy versus the absolutely blind eye that is turned to
Muslims practicing polygamy, and practicing it in nearly every neighborhood in the nation, they will wonder how ours could have ever been called a "Christian" nation.
Exodus 23:1&2
Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with
the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; (stealing
children) neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest
judgment. (trial by the media)
Our streets are littered with the broken lives of teen prostitutes who may be abused one thousand times with impunity while teens who gave themselves to their one and only husband in purity are locked up. Their crime? Their husband failed to get a government consent form signed and
notarized and then presented to a judge, despite the fact that their parents gave their full and complete approval for the marriage. Of course the parents gave their approval, they're part of that same community!
Before proceeding, we must address one issue which has inflamed the
discussion of polygamy, so-called "underage girls" marrying fifty (50) year old
men. The first cue that such phrases are spoken by stupid people is the
redundancy of "underage girls." The second is that underage is a government
definition and has nothing to do with biology. According to the most simple
logic, a girl is a girl until her first menstruation. After her first
menstruation she is biologically a woman. Furthermore, it has been a long
standing legal precedent that by the age of thirteen an individual has reached
the age of reason where they will be held responsible for their deliberate
actions. Pull out your homeowners insurance policy and you will find a statement
very similar to this. "We will not pay for injuries or damages that are caused
intentionally, UNLESS, the injury or damage is caused by a child 12 years of age
or younger." So we have two definitions, one of them biological and the other
psychological which put the age of thirteen as the age at which a female is
capable both biologically and psychologically of giving consent. The Apostle
Paul says, "I will, therefore, that the younger women marry, bear children,
guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."
1Timothy 5:14 And again Paul says, "She shall be saved in childbearing, if they
continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. 1Timothy 2:15 Saved
from what? -- saved from a life of fornication so that the adversary (Satan or
anyone else who opposes righteousness) may not have any reason to attack the
virtue of the young women. The Greek word translated as "younger women" is "neos"
which means recently come into being, young, youthful,
new and in the context of marriage Paul is speaking of women who have
recently become women. Ah, so Paul himself says that women should marry
shortly after their first menstrual cycle which was also in accord with the
Roman requirement that upon reaching puberty every citizen must marry.2
Need I remind you that it's America's current five year gap between biologically
becoming a woman and legally becoming a woman (The Marriage Gap) that sets in motion the pattern of
fornication from which few American women ever escape? Even then, they escape
only by doing what Paul instructed them to do in the first place, by marrying.
Click Here to see a PDF of a typical insurance policy.
Search for "Voluntary Payments" after you have the Insurance Policy in your
browser.
Another aspect of the current mob mentality
concerning young women marrying fifty (50) year old men is that the public just
cannot believe that a thirteen year old woman would be interested in a fifty
year old man. Have they never heard of Mick Jagger, he's sixty five years old
and man is he UUUGLY! Yet he still has teens swooning over him. The fact is, in
the enclosed society of the FLDS, the fifty (50) year old men are the MOST
attractive men to their young women. They strut their little industrial complex
with a charisma that politicians would envy. Their families are large and happy.
They're famous teachers in their community. They are fearless in the face of
mainstream society, willing to risk prison for their beliefs. These men are not
just desirable to the young women in their society, they're what our mainstream
whores would call HOT. (A whore is a woman who has lost her virginity willingly
without wedlock.) But here is the issue that EVERY person who claims they are a
Christian MUST deal with. The Bible defines marriage. If these women were given
to their husbands by their fathers as wives then they indeed are wives and
anyone who encourages them to be with another man is guilty of causing them to
become adulteresses for they can only be released to marry another man by their
husband with his giving them a Bill of Divorcement. If you are one of the mob
running to encourage them to forsake their first husband and take another man
then you are an accomplice to adultery. Jesus was very strict concerning
marriage and He lived in an age where the average woman married at thirteen. At
the time of Jesus, the Roman law, referred to as the Lex Papia Poppaea,2
decreed punishments such as the loss of inheritance rights for women who
remained single after having attained puberty. Jesus never criticized that law
which commanded that a woman old enough to bear children get married. Why would
he? That law prevented pre-marital sex. So when Jesus made his pronouncements on
marriage those words applied to all marriages, including those with thirteen
year old women. Here is what Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever
shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to
commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is so divorced commits
adultery." Matthew 5:32 The same goes for you; if you cause a woman to be put
away from her husband then you also are causing her to commit adultery. This is
not a social issue. This is a theological issue and this is an issue of the
right of religious groups to separate themselves from fornicators such as nearly
every American reading this is.
Still another hysteria inducing fact is that the Eldorado
polygamists had a room in their temple for consummating marriages. For those of
you who are so brainwashed by the Roman Catholic marriage ceremonies that
today's Protestants gleefully imitate, every typical marriage in the Bible
involves the guardian giving the bride and the groom taking her to his tent.
What in the world do you think the implication is of what happens in the tent!
Duh, what in the world is marriage? Are you dense or something? Marriage
involves a willing giving of the bride and a consummation of that marriage.
Without the consummation it is not a marriage even according to government law.
The Bridal Canopy3 is a remnant of the
Bridal Tent3 which was used by the Jews
in times past. This Bridal Canopy3 is used in Jewish marriage ceremonies till
this day. If you're going to attack the Eldorado group for having what amounts
to a Bridal Tent3 then just remember
that your attack is anti-Semitic in its roots.
For those of you who think that the anti-polygamy hysteria is some new thing, please note that anti-polygamy laws have their roots in anti-Semitism and the two
Semite groups that have been the brunt of this bigotry are the descendants of Abraham -- Jacob (the Jews), and Ishmael (today's Muslims). Both have a long record of regulated polygamy and both have been the butt of bigoted jokes and worse. It is hate, and hate alone that fuels this group think against polygamy. One thousand years ago Rabbenu Gershom declared that polygamy would be forbidden to Jews in Christian nations. Why did he do this? Well you guess. We see among us five hundred and thirty four
American citizens ripped from their homes because of anti-polygamy hatred. If it were not hate that drives this anti-polygamy hysteria then the subject could be discussed openly and without bigoted jokes, accusations, and outright lies.
To understand the hatred, let me give you an example. Let's say that you and your family chose to live in a neighborhood of five hundred plus like minded Christians and you were all practicing monogamists. Let's say that there was one sixteen year old teenager among you who called the police and said that one of the people in the neighborhood had sex with her after a private marriage ceremony when she was fifteen years old and that her parents knew about it and had approved of it but that they had not obtained a judge's waiver for their daughter to get married at that age. Do you think it would be fair for the government to come into your neighborhood and arrest (that's what it is no matter what else you claim) to arrest, more than five hundred of your neighbors, fellow Americans, yes, AMERICAN citizens, in the largest group arrest in the country in years? Do you think it would be right to take the children of your neighbors who had nothing to do with the fifteen year old's marriage and place those children, all virgins, among some of the most notorious teens of the country? It is a fact that many of the teens in foster care have been placed there because of their own delinquency. Is it right for virgins who have never left their household to be placed among such teens? I have cried over this. If you haven't, may God have mercy on your soul. If you say, "but they were taken out of the homes of polygamists," that's exactly my point. Your hatred for polygamists is so great that you think it's perfectly ok to rip people out of their homes, for what? For being polygamists just like so many Old Testament saints as well as many in the New Testament? Don't you realize that many of Paul's contemporaries were polygamist Christians? If that was not the case then why would Paul have exempted men who were not the "husband of one wife" from the thankless job of Elder, Bishop, and Deacon? He exempted the polygamists because they were being fruitful and multiplying in compliance with God's command and fulfilling that duty was enough to exempt them from unwanted tasks that were to be assigned by Timothy and the other apostles. If the selection was to be only those who were "husbands of one wife" then surely there were enough men with more than one wife that Paul thought it necessary to make such an exemption from troublesome lower offices within the church. Yes, Elder, Bishop, and Deacon were not high offices or they would have been called of God, not appointed by man.
Click here to read my article entitled: "The Key to Understanding The Husband of
One Wife."
Now, back to Texas. Isn't it Texas where the governor assumes that teen girls are so promiscuous that he wants to force them to take anti-std immunizations? So the government bans teen marriage, a godly outlet for young women who choose marriage, yet the government not only permits but encourages them to fornicate? Not only does the government encourage their fornicating but they make it legal for them to fornicate with boys who have no ability to support them but make it illegal for stable bread winners to court them and marry them, even when the parents and the girls have given their consent as part of their system of stated community values. What? This has got to be the craziest system man has ever invented; to reward women who have sex with the boys who are least able to support them and penalize those who choose
to marry men!
BREAKING NEWS--- Obama State Delegate for Colorado, Rozita
Swinton, is the same Rozita Swinton who was arrested for calling in the hoax
that triggered the Eldorado raid against peaceful American citizens. Article
continues below as originally written on April 7, 2008.
The quite probably non-existent girl4
who started the Eldorado
hysteria is quoted as saying, "Church members told her that if she leaves the
ranch, outsiders will ... force her to cut her hair, (TRUE) to wear make
up (TRUE) and [different] clothes (TRUE) and to have sex with lots
of men. (TRUE)" What is it that is not true about the alleged victim's
statement concerning American culture and the environment of foster care today?
Everything that this probably non-existent victim was told about the outside
world was true. Who is the abuser in this situation? The fact is that American
women think it is better to have sex with lots of men before settling on one.
Don't you tell me anything different, you fake! Were you a virgin on your
wedding night? Look at the actual behavior of people if you want to understand a
culture, don't look at what the people in a culture say. We call that baloney.
They're full of baloney, spelled BS. Any anthropologist with training knows
this. You can go into a country where they say cannibalism is evil but if
they're eating their neighbor's liver, don't believe them! When Americans say
they believe in waiting till marriage for their first sex, don't believe them.
Over ninety percent of Americans have pre-marital sex.5
Face it, we live in a country that says one thing about sex and does another.
Forty-five percent of the country says fornication is evil but they fornicate
anyway and forty-five percent of the country says fornication is good and they
practice what they preach, at least concerning fornication. Now we find America
in a situation where its filthy fornicators find a culture within theirs that
says and does what it preaches and the fornicators send in armed government
officials to arrest and detain five hundred and thirty four fellow American
citizens in the most blatant violation of civil rights this country has seen in
over fifty years. The pundits are afraid to discuss the issue in a clear and
rational way because of the irrational hysteria generated in America by the mere
mention of polygamy. Cowards! America's taboo against polygamy has few rivals in
the modern world. Americans are willing to suspend the constitution when it
comes to polygamists but wait, it's white polygamists who are really the focus
of their hatred. "They got our white women in there! They better let lose of
'em or we'll string em up? What white man would do such a thing as have more
than one wife! It's plain uncivilized." I can hear them now, their mouths
frothing as they hold up their pitch forks... oh yes, it's 9mm weapons they use
today. As for the five hundred and thirty- four innocent American citizen
detainees in Texas, they remain jailed. What else do you call it when you are
held against your own will?
To quote a man who I was personally introduced to as a paid staffer on his campaign in 1980;
"Government isn't the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Nearly every blessed mother in the Bible was a teen bride, usually married within a year or two of her first menstruation. Throughout history the average age of a princess has been between thirteen and eighteen and the same has been true for the common man. Men who break the law when they could have simply gotten a government license to marry their young bride are foolish but they are not brutes.
Teen marriage license infractions, for that is all the Texas case concerns, are
now being used to prosecute polygamists since prosecutors know that the next
polygamy prosecution will be struck down by the Supreme Court. According to Texas law the only thing that stands between a woman under the age of sixteen (16) and her man receiving a marriage license is a court order. Take a look at the statute for yourselves.
Texas Marriage License Requirements
It is of note that only after the FLDS moved to
Eldorado, were Texas marriage laws changed to discriminate against them, raising
the age without a court order to marry from fourteen to sixteen. Prior to the
2005 law being passed a woman age fourteen or older could marry simply by
producing a properly executed parental consent form. No court order was
required. The requirement of a court order was pass by the Texas legislature for
the specific purpose of discriminating against the FLDS so that such court
orders could be issued for marriage license requests made by any citizens of
Texas EXCEPT unless that citizen were a member of the FLDS.
If men who marry teen brides are brutes then so was President James
Monroe who married his seventeen year old bride, Elizabeth Kortright as well as
President Andrew Johnson who married his then sixteen or seventeen year old
bride, Elizabeth McCardle. Neither did Monroe nor Johnson lift so much as one
finger to get a license for their marriages. In fact, the marriage dates of the
Presidents before the mid-eighteen hundreds are hard to determine since marriage
licenses were not required in most localities. The declaration of the man and
woman that they were husband and wife was deemed sufficient. Many states still
give an exemption to marriage license requirements to Quakers. If men who marry
cousins are brutes then Democrat President Martin Van Buren must also be a brute
for he married his first cousin, Hannah Hoes. First cousin marriage which is a
marriage that is permitted by the Bible is also the butt of anti-Semitic jokes.
If men who marry women who are much younger than they are then President John
Tyler must also be a brute for he married the beautiful, Julia Gardiner, who was thirty years
younger than he was. Likewise, Grover Cleveland, at the age of forty nine, married Frances Folsom who was just twenty-two years old. June/December marriages are also a favorite topic of jokes by bigots who want to put their
noses into the business of other peoples' marriages. This bigotry usually
contains slanders against those who might marry their cousins like Jacob did, or
who might marry a woman much younger, like Jacob did, or who might marry a woman
who was under the age of eighteen, like Jacob did. The fact is, such marriages
tend only to come to the attention of the public when they are done by
polygamists or when they are done by members of religious groups that condemn
fornication and homosexuality. The public considers it vulgar when a monogamist
marries his cousin, a teen, or someone much younger but the public considers it
evil when a polygamist or religious fanatic does the same.
Must I bring up the fact that it was King David, the polygamist, who still had enough time with all his wives to write the beautiful Psalms.
Do you forget that King Solomon still had time to write the godly and perfect Proverbs and the Song of Songs?
Yes, it is a fact that the most poetic and beautiful love poem in the Bible was
written by Solomon, the world's most famous polygamist. Furthermore, this King
Solomon, wrote Ecclesiastes which was taken by a Sixties band for its melodic
words -"To everything - turn, turn, turn There is a season - turn, turn, turn And a time for every purpose under heaven."
Well, it is the season to start recognizing that in a marriage, a man is joined to each of his wives by God, not by man.
This is what many of our presidents recognized. Those of you who do not trust
God to join you in marriage need our prayers. I don't expect my fellow Americans to agree with me. My fellow Americans refuse to hang the pornographers from the lamp posts along
side the CEOs of the major hotel chains in America who pipe in pornography to their hotel rooms.
Americans would prefer that one polygamist be sent to prison than one hundred
million fornicators be told that sex outside of marriage is a sin but let me put
you on notice. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yes, Jesus Himself, is
going to judge you and that day is not far away and He will punish you. Repent.
He will punish you for forbidding what the Bible permits and for causing grief
and suffering with your backwards and primitive, yes primitive and barbaric
laws. For you reward young women with your welfare state who have sex with boys
that cannot support them and you punish the wise virgins who choose marriage
with an older stable man.
1 Timothy 4:3 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
SEND THIS ARTICLE TO A FRIEND! CLICK HERE!
[1] The Welfare of Children by Duncan Lindsay - Published 2003
[2] Lex Papia Poppaea, A.D. 9, sometimes known as Jus Trium Liberorum granted
special privileges to men with many children and punished celibacy by limiting
the rights of single men. This can account for Paul's discussions on celibacy
which should not be taken as encouraging celibacy but as defending the right of
a man or woman to voluntarily choose marriage instead of feeling
compelled to marry by government decree. The Lex Papia Poppaea decreed
punishments such as the loss of inheritance rights for those who remained single
after having attained puberty up to the age of fifty for women and sixty for
men. A man or woman was given one hundred days to get married upon finding out
they were the beneficiary of an inheritance or forfeit the inheritance. There
are many more interesting details of this Roman law which I'll address in
another article.
[3] Bridal Tent - "They pitched the tent, the bridal
tent, of the Semites, which has survived in the canopy of the Jewish wedding
ceremony to our own day." The International Critical Commentary - A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on The Books of Samuel by Henry Preserved Smith -
Professor of Biblical History and Interpretation in Amherst College Published in
1902
[4] Rozita Swinton has been arrested and is currently being
investigated for pretending to be a sixteen (16) year old woman; that same
"sixteen year old 'girl'" who was the alibi for the Texas Jack Booted Thugs'
raid on a peaceful neighborhood in Eldorado to steal over four hundred (400)
children from their parents and place them with fornicators, homosexuals, and
adulteresses. Rozita E Swinton is also listed on the El Paso County Colorado
Democrats website as being a State Delegate from Precinct 269. I called the El
Paso County Colorado Democrat Headquarters and spoke with Carol, the woman who
answered the telephone, and when I asked her whether that Rozita Swinton who
is listed on their website as a state delegate for Obama is the same Rozita
Swinton who was arrested for being the polygamy hoax caller she said, yes.
As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so [is] he that giveth
honour to a fool.
Solomon -- Proverbs 26:8
The Texas CPS and Jack Booted Authorities gave honor to a fool, now the
ammunition that they intended to fire at their opponents is blowing up in their
faces!
[5] Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003 Lawrence B. Finer,
PhD
Note: Copyright 2008 - Don Milton - All Rights Reserved
Pastor Don Milton is an Evangelical Christian
Posted by: Pastor_Don_Milton on Apr 07, 2008 - 10:33 PM
This excerpt is from The Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives. Copyright 1998 Don Milton All Rights Reserved. All Copyright Laws Apply - Thou Shalt Not Steal
Chapters:
[Prologue]
[1]
[2] [3]
[4]
[5] [6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
Chapter 12 - Martin Madan - A Memory of Love
Ruth's genius was revealed through her method of
Bible study but now she opened up to expose the tenderest of hearts. She set
aside her notes, as her voice softened and she delivered a long overdue eulogy
for the now forgotten Reverend Martin Madan.
"You remember how Sam said that there's a long list of eminent
theologians who've been forgotten simply because they supported polygamy?"
"Yes, I remember." Suni answered, "I was wondering who those might
be."
"Well Suni, the Reverend Martin Madan, the Father of the
Evangelical Hymnal, was a well known preacher of the eighteenth century and the
most talented Church music composer of all time.22 He wrote a
book called: 'Thelyphthora; Or, a Treatise on Female Ruin, Its Causes, Effects,
Consequences, Prevention, and Remedy.' Part of the remedy that Madan proposed
was polygamy.23 He put forth in his book that the ban on polygamy that was
originally put in force by the Roman Catholic popes had been the cause of
widespread prostitution and fornication. He roundly criticized the banning of
taking more than one wife, an activity that Jesus used in metaphor without
criticism."
Cherry recalled the parable of the Ten Virgins, "Yes, Ruth, Jesus praised the five brides
who kept plenty of oil in their lamps while they
waited for their polygamous husband."24
"That's a great example, Cherry. Now can any of you tell me what song the
following line comes from?
'With th' Angelic Hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!'"
"Are you telling us that the Reverend Martin Madan wrote Hark the
Herald Angels Sing?" Suni asked.
"No, Suni, that was primarily written by Charles Wesley, but in
1760, Martin Madan did introduce those two lines and they have been kept in the
hymn as we sing it still today."25
"So he was apparently a well accepted and much beloved Christian of
his time to have known Charles Wesley." Asina observed.
"That's right. Not only did he know Charles but he was godfather to
Charles' son, Samuel and he was also a friend of Charles' brother, John
Wesley, the famous evangelist who founded the Methodist denomination.26 Madan even comforted
the dying composer Handel, famous for his masterpiece; The Messiah.27 I think it's
clear that up to the moment that he published Thelyphthora, in 1780, that he was
well respected. In 1746, thirty four years before he wrote that book, he founded
the London Lock Hospital. London Lock was the first voluntary hospital that
treated venereal disease.28 It was during his ministerial
duties there that he gained a great deal of first hand knowledge about the
consequences of fornication and prostitution. Shortly after Madan's arrival, the
institution opened a new building and it became known as 'The Female Hospital.'
He built a chapel associated with the hospital which could seat up to eight
hundred people.29 This may not seem large compared with today's mega-churches but
it's still a very large fellowship and it was one of the largest of his day. His
chapel received enough tithes to become a strong source of support for the
hospital.30 It was there that the singing of
hymns first took hold as part of Christian worship in England.31 The members sang from a hymnal that Madan,
himself, had published. He published the hymnal as a benefit to future generations
as well as to raise money for the hospital.32
From the Chapel at the Lock,
Hymn singing spread quickly through the English speaking world with Madan's
hymnal the standard. His mastery of musical worship brought thousands to the
Chapel at the Lock and his hymns have brought many more thousands to a saving
knowledge of our Lord.32 In less than thirty
short years from the first printing of Madan's hymnal, fully two thirds of the
hymns sung, even in the parishes of the Church of England, had been arranged by
Madan himself for his hymnal had become the core of the Church of England's hymnal.33
The Baptist's hymnal came out twenty five
years after Madan's.34 Here is the very hymnal that Madan published. My father let me
take the original from his library to show you."
Ruth handed Cherry the hymnal, 'A Collection of Psalm and Hymn
Tunes, Never Published Before by the Reverend Martin Madan'. Cherry handled it carefully, then reflected.
"So the loving man who published this hymnal was cast aside because
of his pity for the women who came under the bondage of harlotry?* For
wanting the men who knew them only as their mistresses to take them as wives?
That was his sin? That's not sin, that's a badge of honor! I would love to have
known that man!"
"Cherry, I think there are some men just like the Reverend Martin
Madan who are sitting in this room right now."
"I agree. It's wonderful." Cherry looked down. She seemed shy to
consider herself one who a Christian might desire. I didn't doubt that she
understood her eternal value to the Lord but forgetting her past, let alone
believing that any potential husband could forget her past, was still beyond her
grasp. Cherry wanted to know more.
"So what happened to the Reverend Martin Madan, Ruth?"
"After he published Thelyphthora in 1780, he was forced to resign
from the London Lock Hospital, the very hospital that he had founded!
He'd served thirty four years as its founder and twenty two years as its
chaplain when he resigned.35
UPDATE - I have discovered that the Dictionary of
National Biography was in error when stating that Madan resigned in 1780.
According to various biographies of the time, Madan retained the sole title of
Chaplain to the Lock till his death in 1790. Between the years of 1780 and 1790
it is true that other men held the positions of Morning Preacher and Evening
Preacher but none filled his position of Chaplain till his death. De Coetlogon
and Thomas Scott were the best known of these morning and evening preachers.
Ruth handed a Webster's Dictionary to Cherry.
"Look up the word, 'Lock hospital.'"
"Ok, hang on." Cherry opened the dictionary and read the citation.
"'Lock hospital: a hospital for the treatment of venereal diseases.' Wait a
minute, Ruth, you're telling me that a new word entered the English language
because of the Reverend Martin Madan?"
"Yes, Cherry. The Lock Hospital was the first hospital of its kind
in the world! Every hospital like it is now referred to as a Lock hospital. To
this day, the administrators of such hospitals can only pray that they'll have a
fraction of the success that the Reverend Martin Madan had during his years at
the Lock."
"I'm afraid to know the rest of what happened to the Reverend
Martin Madan but I've got to know."
"Well Cherry, he was just fifty four years old when he walked
out of that noble institution and he died ten years later."
Ruth sighed, "Nearly every Christian historian has erased him from their
accounts of the great evangelists of the eighteenth century. By their
hatred of one man for daring to disagree with their notions of marriage they've erased an important part of England's Church history; the transition from singing
Psalms to singing hymns and it was this transition that sparked the great
revivals of the hundred years that followed Madan's ministry!"
"Now let me get this straight, Ruth. Before Martin Madan
promoted
the concept, the churches in England didn't sing hymns?"
"That's right, Cherry. There were virtually no English churches
that sang hymns. They sang Old Testament Psalms set to music. That's much
different from today where our hymns combine verses with biblical concepts that
call us to repentance or worship. A hymn can be likened to a Bible study set to
poetry and music. If one says there's no need for hymns then one must also say
there's no need for Bible study leaders or for pastors. The hymn provides a way
for biblical concepts to be presented in poetry set to music. Many lost souls that have
been deaf to all other forms of preaching have been converted by the hearing of
a single hymn."
"You really have told me something new today, Ruth!" Cherry
broke down in tears. "I'll certainly remember the Reverend Martin
Madan the next time I sing a hymn! That precious man.
So that man," Cherry was barely able to get out the words through her
crying but she managed to
complete her thought, "the man who polished some of the most
famous words in today's hymnals, the man who arranged the music behind many of
those hymns, the man who cared for and counseled those cast
aside women of his time, was himself thrown aside; all for the golden calf of
monogamy."
"Cherry, society will go to any length to continue the bondage of
monogamy." Ruth declared, "Men whose wives are their masters can't have God for their master
too. They're fornicators;
men who put false gods, their wives, in place of our Lord and Savior. Do they do
this to defend anything of God? No! They do it to defend their income, their
households, and their businesses.36 There, I said it."
I hadn't expected to meet such a zealous advocate for polygamy this
early in my mission but it was understandable; Ruth's own father had four wives.
What was not understandable was how a simple girl who lived atop a mountain in
the jungle could have put together such a treasure trove of information about a
man I'd hardly known before this day. I too would remember the Reverend Martin
Madan but today I was in awe of Ruth. Her discoveries were ground breaking.
"What happened to the Reverend Martin Madan is really sad." Asina
was sobbing too. "Is that what's going to happen to Sam and Ish? Are their
churches going to fire them and will they lose their ministries too?"
Now I was perplexed. Today was the first day that I'd even heard
women promoting polygamy and Asina was talking as if Sam and I were the force
behind their new found plan.
John had been quiet up till this moment but now he read from his
Bible.
"'The righteous are bold as a lion.'37
I can see from your conversation that each of you ladies has the
courage of a lion. I have no doubt that you'll follow the word of God as Jesus
quoted:
'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'38
Notice that the verse says, every word. Tell me, how can we
preach repentance if those we're preaching to don't know right from wrong? Does
God speak nonsense? Does God speak merely to tickle the ears? No, God speaks and
we are to listen to every word, and why listen if we're not to teach what
we hear? Wouldn't that be a foolish waste of time? So preaching repentance
doesn't mean ignoring everything else in the Bible but it means teaching all of
God's word so that those hearing will find at least one word, one precept of
God, so that they will see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and be converted, yes, and the Lord will heal
them. If by their example our Christian brothers and sisters set rules that are not found in the
Bible and we don't correct them, and if our teachers teach the traditions of men
and we don't object, won't we by our acquiescence be
as guilty as they of laying aside the commandment of God? Won't we have become like those
Pharisees accused by Jesus, transgressing the commandment of God by our
tradition.39 In fact, won't we be more guilty than those
we are called upon to correct by
allowing them to stumble. Who are we to say that they won't turn from their
sins?
'When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit
iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him,' says the Lord, 'he shall die:
because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his
righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will
I require at thine hand.'40
John repeated the words, "At thine hand!" then looked
around the room at each of us.
"'Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous
sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also
thou hast delivered thy soul.'41
Ladies, Sam, Ish, we have a duty; a duty to explain what the Bible
says on marriage so that those teaching false doctrine can have a
choice; the choice to continue in their sin or to repent. If they repent, these
ladies will have plenty of husbands to choose from and it will set in motion
changes that will easily double the birthrate in Christian households. If the
men of the churches don't repent," John paused. A huge smile now dominated his
face, "well that will leave all the more women for you to choose
from, won't it Ish." John slapped me on the back and chuckled. I was at a loss for the
appropriate response so I just kept my mouth shut.
John continued, "China still has a one child policy yet the
Christian churches here in the Philippines have a no child policy for the
millions of believing Christian women who would readily become wives to the
already married men in their congregations. These women would have husbands and
children except for one thing, tradition, man's tradition. The entire Christian church is in apostasy, apostasy,
that's what it is."42
John threw up his hands in disgust and breathed a great sigh.
"Sorry, ladies," he apologized, "I've never voiced these words
before. I guess I'm getting a bit carried away."
Suni countered, "Oh no, John, I'm sure that I'm speaking for all
the girls when I say we agree with everything you've just said."
"'Yes, yes!" Each of the girls assured him.
"I think I've said enough for now, I'll let my daughter take up
where she left off about the Reverend Martin Madan."
"Thanks Daddy. Well, Martin Madan was a charming man even before he came to know
the Lord. He was independently wealthy and had been educated to become an
attorney. One night, he was having fun with his friends at a coffee house when
they made a challenge to him. Since they knew their friend, Martin Madan, was a great impersonator,
just like my daddy." Ruth looked lovingly at her father then continued. "Madan's buddies
challenged him to go to one of John Wesley's sermons to study his voice and
mannerisms and then come back to entertain them with an impersonation. They thought
it would be great fun to see their impersonator extraordinaire imitate the
evangelist extraordinaire. Madan took up their challenge. However, upon entering
the church he heard John Wesley announcing the sermon he would preach. 'Prepare
to meet thy God' and that is in fact what Martin Madan did that night. He then
propelled himself into the study of God's word with such vigor that he was soon
preaching from the pulpit himself and editing renditions of Charles Wesley's own
hymns. Like others who have achieved great fame, the Reverend Martin Madan was
no longer called by his name but was known simply as the Counsellor.43 This
referred to his ability to present the gospel in the same way that he had
presented his cases before a jury. However these jurors were made up of the many
truth seekers who attended his grand revivals and it was they who were on
trial. Madan effectively presented the case that if they would but
plead guilty and throw themselves upon the mercy of the Judge, yea, at the feet
of Jehovah Himself, then Jehovah's Own Son, Jesus the Savior, who'd died in their
stead, would pardon them.44 In this way, many a juror
among those listening was convicted, found guilty, and pardoned. Those who were
lost now walked in fellowship with the Lord, forgiven of their sins,
cleansed by the blood
of Jesus!"45
"Hallelujah!" Cherry shouted, tears streaming down her
face.
There may be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents but the
girls weren't going to wait for heaven. Ruth's story started
them rejoicing.46
Suni was now shaking a tambourine and Asina was strumming an
autoharp that she'd found among John's family instruments. Ruth handed out some
sheets of music and John took his place at the piano. It seemed that the range
of emotions my new found friends could experience in a single day was more than
I was capable of in a month. I was getting to know each of them so well and yet
our entire day had been spent worshipping the Lord through prayer, song, and
study. I had not truly known the meaning of the phrase "on fire for the Lord"
till this day. The room was like a tinder box that the Holy Ghost had ignited.47
We began to sing from the sheets of music Ruth had handed out. I
recognized it as one of
the songs Madan had arranged:
"Lo He comes with clouds descending
Once for favour'd sinners slain
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Amen!"
We sang each stanza through to the last.
"Yea, Amen; Let all adore thee
High on Thine eternal throne
Saviour, take the pow'r and glory
Claim the kingdom for Thine own
O come quickly
Hallelujah, come, Lord, come48
After the hymn the girls continued singing to Jesus. Their sweet voices
of praise slowly faded as each of them sang or hummed one more loving note to
their Savior. They certainly weren't alone when they sang for they were at one
with the Holy Spirit. The glow of a bride on
her wedding day shone on their faces as they lifted their hands and looked
upward.49 When the girls had finished, Suni
was the first to get back to the discussion.
"So basically, what we've learned here today is that the man who began
the Protestant reformation, putting Bibles into the hands of Christians; Martin
Luther, and the man who wrote the greatest Christian poem of all time; John
Milton, and the man whose hymns were the first to be sung across the English
speaking world;
Martin Madan, all taught that polygamy is not only acceptable according to the
Bible but that in many cases it is commendable, for it takes care of a man's and
a woman's
passions within the context of marriage, steering them clear of fornication and making
wives of women who would otherwise have no godly outlet. But is it true that our
pastors have deliberately set out to deceive us on this issue for fear that
telling us the truth would mean an end to their pastoral income!"
"Yes!" Sam fell down on his knees, his head bowed in
shame. "I'm guilty. I've done this!" Sam
looked around the room at each of the girls as he confessed, "I was the leader
of a group of pastors who wanted to keep Ish's books out of the schools. Even
though Ish's books didn't promote polygamy, his discussion of the subject was
too neutral for our liking. We knew that his books might touch off a renewed
interest in polygamy that has been dormant in the churches for hundreds of
years. All it would take would be one church that practiced polygamy and we'd
lose half our members."
Asina's face reddened.
"So you put your
own well being above the well being of your flock!"
"Yes, yes. That is, until I prayed that the Lord would guide me on this.
The day after my prayer I contacted some other pastors who were all for Ish's
books on chastity and we got them into as many schools as we could."
Asina quoted a bible passage.
"'If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'50 Of
course, we know the Lord has forgiven you Sam, but for what it's worth." Asina's
expression turned to gentleness. "I
forgive you too."
"Me too." The girls were once again teary eyed as each of
them let Sam know they held nothing against
him.
"We can discuss theology all day," I interrupted, "but we have a
real life polygamist sitting right next to us. John,
isn't it about time we hear your story?"
"Story! Story! Story!" The girls started chanting. Their discussion,
our praise session,
and Sam's confession had done
wonders to release their pent up energy and they were back to their cheery selves.
"Ok, ok." John was smiling. "But before that, I think it's appropriate that
we listen to what Martin Luther himself said concerning the Bible. He said;
'I study the Bible like gathering apples. First I shake the whole tree that the
ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb and when I shake each limb I shake each
branch and then every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as
a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb, book by book. Then
I shake every branch giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig
by carefully studying the paragraphs and sentences and words and what they
mean.'
That's exactly how Martin Luther realized that the Bible didn't ban polygamy nor
did it punish polygamy.51 We've begun this study using the same methods that
Martin Luther used; dealing with what falls from the tree first. We have a lot
more to study and I'm so glad that you all will be staying for a few days. It
will give us time to meditate on what we learn."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ruth opened it. Her mother rolled in a
cart with several trays of freshly baked goodies, and as always, a fresh pot of mountain grown
coffee.
"Hi momma. You didn't have to do that. I was just about to get the snacks and
coffee myself."
"I didn't want my little girl to have to leave her new friends."
"Thanks momma."
Ruth and her mother hugged. John and his wife looked warmly at each
other. You could tell how happy they were that their daughter had finally been
able to fellowship with Christian friends. It was clear from her deep knowledge
of Christian history and the Bible that she spent endless hours studying alone.
"I'll leave you and your friends. Just let me know if you need anything else."
"I will momma." Ruth gave her a kiss on the cheek.
After she'd left the room, John began his story.
"I was born a prince, a young and fortunate prince, a first born
prince. As such, I was brought up royal heir to the throne; Prince John, the
future king. Spoiled by my mother and her attendants and trained in hunting
by my father and my uncles; I was to have both wealth and fame."
I expected John's tale to be as rich and full as the coffee I now
sipped. The girls warm and simple smiles reminded me of Mary when we first met;
full of hope and love for the Lord. There is no woman more beautiful than one on fire for the Lord
and here I was surrounded by the most dazzling
women on earth. I prayed quietly that the Lord would guide their steps, and mine.
*Harlot - a woman who has engaged in sexual relations without the benefit of
marriage. Harlots are in bondage to sin, in bondage to the men they have
relations with and those men are also in bondage to them.
[Do you like what you just read? Click Here to Send this to a friend.]
Click Here to Go to Rites of Manhood - The Prince of Sumba - Chapter 13
Footnotes:
22
22 - more
22 - more
22-26
27-31
32-38
39-48
49-52
Note: This excerpt is from The Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives.
Copyright 1998 Don Milton All Rights Reserved.
All Copyright Laws Apply - Thou Shalt Not Steal
Posted by: Pastor_Don_Milton on Feb 06, 2007 - 06:33 AM
Walter C. Kaiser's Hateful Slander of King
David
Walter C. Kaiser Jr. claims in "Hard Sayings of
the Bible (1997, c1996) Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity." that since God never
gave permission for polygamy then King David sinned by taking more than one
wife. Here is what Mr. Kaiser states:
"No permission can be recited from the text for any such institution or
practice."
Kaiser, W. C. (1997, c1996). Hard sayings of the Bible (223). Downers Grove, Il:
InterVarsity.
Mr. Kaiser thinks you and I are too stupid to know that he has
changed the definition of sin in order to slander King David. He has changed the
definition of sin to:
That which is not expressly permitted. [false definition of sin]
Does Mr. Kaiser, a man, have the right to change the definition of
sin? The real definition of sin is:
That which is expressly forbidden. [correct definition of sin]
Specifically:
To disobey a command of God to do something.
To disobey a command of God not to do something.
There is no other thing that can be called sin and Mr. Kaiser knows
this. Let me repeat, Mr. Kaiser KNOWS the definition of sin. So for what purpose
has Mr. Kaiser decided to redefine sin? He has redefined sin in order to create
a "straw man." A "straw man" is an imaginary opposition argument that has been
created only for the purpose of easily knocking it down, thus the name, "straw
man."
Let's look at how ridiculous Mr. Kaiser's definition is.
According to Mr. Kaiser's own definition of sin, the following things are sinful
because the Bible does not expressly permit them:
Marrying a woman who has hazel eyes.
Marrying a woman who has a middle name.
Marrying a woman who wears long underwear.
You can see that according to Mr. Kaiser's own definition of sin,
it is a sin to marry at all because unless your specific case is expressly
permitted, it's a sin.
Mr. Kaiser should put his tail between his legs and repent. He
knows that he has played a trick to make his point. The trickery he has used is
so well known that as I've pointed out, it has a name, "straw man."
Walter C. Kaiser's Hateful Slander of Jacob
Walter C. Kaiser continues his slander against
the Jews in his section about Jacob. He stoops once again to straw man trickery,
stating:
"Polygamy was never lawful for any of the persons in the Bible.
There never existed an express biblical permission for such a deviation from the
ordinance of God made at the institution of marriage in the Garden of Eden (Gen
2:21–24)."
Kaiser, W. C. (1997, c1996). Hard sayings of the Bible (130). Downers Grove, Il:
InterVarsity.
Now remember, nothing requires "an express biblical permission."
Sin is that which is forbidden to do as well as that which is
forbidden not to do.
So what is this "ordinance of God made at the institution of
marriage in the Garden of Eden" that Kaiser talks about? Mr. Kaiser wants
us to believe that there is some ordinance in the verses he mentions that
forbids polygamy but that is not what the verses are about. If Mr. Kaiser had
analyzed the Hebrew grammar he would have known that. Hebrew, or any language
for that matter, is not made up merely of words to be translated although some
armchair theologians would like to think so. To understand any sentence, we must
analyze not only the words but the grammar, the syntax, and more. Here are the verses
that Kaiser brings up.
Genesis 2:21-24
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he
took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib,
which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto
the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall
a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they
shall be one flesh.
Now let's remember, sin is that which is forbidden [forbidden to
do or forbidden not to do.]
What does Genesis 2:24 forbid?
Genesis 2:24 forbids homosexuality [leave his father] and it
forbids mother son incest [leave his mother.]
What does Genesis 2:24 command?
Genesis 2:24 commands heterosexual sex.
The reason for this understanding of Genesis 2:24 is explained in
the sentence structure. According to the AFPMA [Anderson-Forbes Phrase Marker
Analysis,] the sentence in Genesis 2:24 is divided into two unit phrases:
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife."
"and they shall become one flesh."
Italicizing the word they reveals the Hebrew meaning.
"and they shall become one flesh."
In other words, they shall become one flesh as opposed to
the man becoming one flesh with his father or with his mother. Look how the
sentence reads with that understanding.
Paraphrase: The reason that a man shall leave his father and his
mother and cleave unto his wife is that it is they [the man and his wife] who are to
be as one flesh [and certainly the man and his father are not to be as one flesh
nor are the man and his mother to be as one flesh.]
Consider this; the word translated here as "leave" is translated
nearly twice as much as "forsake." Now let's read the sentence with forsake
instead of leave.
"Therefore shall a man forsake his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife."
Does it say forsake all others? No, it doesn't. It says forsake his
father [ban on male homosexuality] and forsake his mother [ban on mother son
incest.]
Our God is a righteous God. When God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah
with destruction, its people had already broken many laws that were well known
to them; laws which were well known to Adam and which he passed down to his
descendents. One of the laws that the men of Sodom and Gomorrah broke was the
law against male homosexuality which is found in Genesis 2:24 and is found
nowhere else in scripture prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We
know that the men of Sodom and Gomorrah knew that their homosexuality was a sin
precisely because of the account of Genesis 2:24. Adam kept at least an oral
record of Genesis 2:24 which was eventually written by Moses. Here is a list of
some other laws that the descendents of Adam would have received from Adam.
Sanctification of the Sabbath. Genesis 2:3
Ban on male homosexuality. Genesis 2:24
Ban on mother son incest. Genesis 2:24
The requirement for blood sacrifice. Genesis 3:21, Genesis 4:5
The value of repentance. Genesis 4:7 (salvation by grace)
Ban on murder. Genesis 4:8
Paul encapsulates well the lesson of Genesis 3:21, Genesis 4:5, and Genesis 4:7
when he writes in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter 9 verse 22 "And almost all
things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission."
Mr. Kaiser is left with the fact that the Bible contains no
law against polygamy. For those of you who want to use "law of the land"
arguments against polygamy, remember; if you argue that polygamy is wrong
because it's against the law then you must also argue that George Washington was
a traitor and should have been hanged and that the United States is in rebellion
against Great Britain and must go back to being a colony.
How much hatred must Mr. Kaiser have in his heart that he feels the
need to use trickery instead of God's word to make his case. Jesus was clear
that slander involves hatred.
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause
shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother,
Racac, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell fire.
Walter C. Kaiser's Hateful Slander of Righteous
Abraham
Mr. Kaiser is not satisfied in having slandered
the patriarch of the Jews, Jacob, nor is slandering David, the great writer of
the Psalms enough, but he feels impelled to slander righteous Abraham by
referring to his marriage with Hagar as cohabitation! Read for yourself:
"While the Bible does not stop to moralize on Abram’s cohabitation
with Hagar, it nevertheless expects each reader to realize that what was taking
place was contrary to the will and morality that God approved."
Kaiser, W. C. (1997, c1996). Hard sayings of the Bible (122). Downers Grove, Il:
InterVarsity.
Notice that Mr. Kaiser has to rely on cultural bigotry to get
across his point, stating that, "The Bible ... expects each reader to realize
that what was taking place was contrary to the will and morality that God
approved."
Mr. Kaiser, the Lord expects us to "realize" no such thing. In
fact, the Lord commands us through the Bible:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth
against the LORD. Proverbs 19:3
Do you believe it, Mr. Kaiser? Is man's heart so naturally foolish
that it rebels against what the Lord teaches? If you believe Proverbs 19:3 and
Proverbs 3:5 then why do you ask men to "realize" i.e., to "lean unto their own
understanding?"
In closing, Mr. Kaiser, who do you think you are? How is it that
you are so much greater than the Bible that you can invent new definitions of
sin? Is your straw man a nifty little trick that you pull because you enjoy
seeing stupid people in awe? Well, it's not so nifty and people aren't so
stupid. Compare yourself with the men you condemn:
Jacob who God Himself gave the name Israel after having wrestled
with God! Jacob raised twelve sons from which the nation of Israel and our Lord
and Savior, Jesus, trace their roots.
King David wrote the Psalms!
Abraham was called the Friend of God!!!
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of
God. James 2:23
Please pray with me for Mr. Kaiser. Pray that Mr. Kaiser will "lean
not unto his own understanding" but will lean unto "every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4b Pray also that he will correct his books
and publicly confess that he has sinned by using the trickery of the straw man.
Romans 6:1,2,18 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live
any longer therein? Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
We Preach Real Grace on this Website, not "greasy grace."
Excerpts from Articles on this site About God's Great
Grace
From Chapter 24 - Isa's Story
Where was the light? Where was my faith? What was I seeing? Was I
blind? I saw the priest go back into rooms with those boys. I heard the sounds.
Of course I lied. I was protecting the holiness of the priesthood. Too bad they
believed the other witnesses and not me or the priest would still have his holy
robes and the church would be protected from those born agains! I remembered the
man whose shouts had summoned me from beneath the bench. That was holiness. What
a strange thing. He prayed to be clean and he was made clean. The song
continued.
"Was it for crimes that I had done, he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree!"
Like the shower spraying above me my eyes burst with tears. I
sobbed. The crime! I had tried to protect the guilty while condemning those poor
molested boys as liars. Praise God they had not listened to me or the other
women in the church who had tried to protect that ungodly priest.
"Praise God!"
That came from my mouth? I realized I was talking outloud or was I
praying. The song continued.
"Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in when
Christ, the mighty Maker died for man the creature’s sin. Thus might I hide my
blushing face while His dear cross appears dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
and melt my eyes to tears.
"Thank You Jesus!" I began shouting, "Thank You Jesus!"
Who am I now? I thought to myself then just as suddenly I shouted.
"Praise God!"
Who am I? I'm born again! There was no shame, no second thoughts. I
was simply changed, in an instant. Sure, you'll find out that I have worldy
things about me that I don't seem to be able to shake but the Lord keeps me
clean and keeps me from temptations that I cannot resist. The song finished as I
dried off.
"But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do."
I had never felt that I belonged to anyone but now I felt I had a
Master; the Lord Jesus. A burden had truly been lifted from me. Such a change to
occur by listening to a song.
Read all of Chapter 24 - Isa's Story - Click Here
From "John and Charles Wesley's Sister Married a Polygamist
Another occasion that showed Westley Hall's gracious manner was
"when Whitefield and [John] Wesley quarreled respecting the doctrine of 'Free
Grace,' and Whitefield declared his intention to attack Wesley and his brother
[Charles] wherever he went, Westley Hall assumed the office of peacemaker,
waited upon Whitefield, and reminded him of a promise, he had made, 'that
whatever his private opinion was, he would never publicly preach against'
them."7 Here is what Susanna Wesley wrote concerning the Reverend Westley Hall
and his wife Martha Wesley Hall in a letter dated August 5, 1737:
"Mr. Hall and his wife are very good to me. He behaves like a gentleman and a
Christian; and my daughter with as much duty and tenderness as can be
expressed."8
A little over two years later, on September 3, 1739, John Wesley wrote in his
journal:
"I talked largely with my mother, who told me, that, till a short time since,
she had scarce heard such a thing mentioned as the having God's spirit bearing
witness with our spirit: much less did she imagine that this was the common
privilege of all true believers. 'Therefore,' said she, 'I never durst ask for
it myself. But two or three weeks ago, while my son Hall was pronouncing those
words, in delivering the cup to me, -The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
was given for thee,-the words struck my heart, and I knew, God, for Christ's
sake, had forgiven me all my sins.'"
Read: John and Charles Wesley's Sister Married a Polygamist - Click Here
From Thelyphthora - Read it for FREE!
Martin Madan also wrote the words to "Now Begin the Heav'nly Theme"
which is more often known by the name "Redeeming love" and which was clearly
inspired by his charitable ministry to those who had escaped the bonds of
prostitution. Listen to how his lyrics appeal to the lost, that they would
accept God's grace and "taste redeeming love."
'Ye, alas! who long have been
Willing slaves to death and sin,
Now from bliss no longer rove,
Stop and taste redeeming love.'"
Read Article: Thelyphthora - Read it for FREE! - Click Here
From Charles Wesley's Son was a Polygamist
Now this powerful conversion of Martin Madan was no exaggeration
for he was so interested in reaching the lost for the Lord that he took the
chaplaincy of the London Lock Hospital, a hospital that treated those afflicted
with venereal diseases. He knew that he had found a place where he could not
only reach the lost but involve himself in his music ministry, a ministry which
was to take up the greater portion of his career. It was during this time that
he penned the words to the following famous hymn:
Redeeming Love
Now begin the heav’nly theme,
Sing aloud in Jesus’ Name;
Ye, who His salvation prove,
Triumph in redeeming love.
Ye, who see the Father’s grace
Beaming in the Savior’s face,
As to Canaan on ye move,
Praise and bless redeeming love.
Mourning souls, dry up your tears,
Banish all your guilty fears,
See your guilt and curse remove,
Canceled by redeeming love.
Ye, alas! who long have been
Willing slaves to death and sin,
Now from bliss no longer rove,
Stop and taste redeeming love.
Welcome all by sin oppressed,
Welcome to His sacred rest;
Nothing brought Him from above,
Nothing but redeeming love.
When His Spirit leads us home,
When we to His glory come,
We shall all the fullness prove,
Of our Lord’s redeeming love.
Hither then your music bring,
Strike aloud each cheerful string;
Mortals join the host above,
Join to praise redeeming love.
In reading the lyrics to Redeeming Love it's easy to see how songs such as this,
combined with the preaching of God's word by the Reverend Martin Madan, would
pierce even the hearts of lost prostitutes who had nowhere to go but the London
Lock Hospital. As they lived out their days suffering and often dying from the
scourge of venereal disease they found redemption and then joy in singing
praises to God.
Read Article: Charles Wesley's Son Was A Polygamist - Click Here
From Nation of Harlots
Don't try to hide your sins from yourself no matter what those sins
have been. Let the Lord "hide His face" (psalm 51:9) from those sins and cleanse
you from all unrighteousness. He'll not only hide His face from them, He'll take
them away as "far as the east is from the west." Psalm 103:12 It is His power
and His grace that is made even more awesome when we see the great sins that He
has freed us from.
If you are a harlot or fornicator let it be said about you:
Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1
Corinthians 6:11
For:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1
May the psalmist's prayer be yours:
"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from
thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. [Then] will I teach
transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalms
51:9-13 Praise the Lord!
Will you join me in teaching transgressors the ways of the Lord so
that sinners can be converted?
Read Article: Nation of Harlots - Click Here
From Chapter 15 - Coming of Age
"He is the father of a childhood friend, Priti, strong but
delicate."
"We must ask your Santran if he has had any visions concerning your
Priti. Maybe she has had a dream also."
"Priti has worked for my mother as her maid for many years. They
are inseparable. Priti is a Christian!" I exclaimed. "I remember a hymn that
they would sing when my father would shush them and they'd return to her
quarters. The words were,
"'He dwells in the high and holy place, with Him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit,' This is speaking of Jesus! 'to revive the spirit of
the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.' That's us by God's
grace!"
"They made a song of that? How wonderful!" Zuah pulled out her
Bible. It seemed that all members of King Jochan's family had Bibles. "Here it
is, Isaiah 57:15 I'll read it. 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'"
"This is astounding! How is it that my people can read this verse
and not know what it is about. What's even more astounding is that I have never
found much to talk about with a woman and now I am talking about everything with
you, Zuah."
Read Chapter 15 - Coming of Age - Click Here
From the Footnotes to Chapter 14 - Dreams & Visions
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
2Corinthians 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I
say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto
this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing
shall be impossible unto you.
Ephesians 2:8&9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Acts 17:31
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given
assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Romans 4:4-8
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to
him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the
blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
[Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered. Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Read Chapter 14 - Dreams & Visions - Click Here
From Chapter 18 - Hymns that Convert the Soul
Asina was now up, and again, like an angel herself, the feet of a
ballerina, she floated across the room. Her tambourine accented the song in
perfect timing. The girls hummed melodiously till the part where the verse
repeated itself and then they sang along. No one had to give them permission to
praise God in song. Formality took a back seat in their love for the Lord.
"The trumpet of God
Is sounding abroad,
The language of mercy,
salvation through blood.
Thrice happy are they
Who hear and obey,
And share in the blessings,
of this gospel day.
The people who know
The Saviour below,
With burning affection,
to worship him glow."
Mary was singing every bit as much as the girls now. The hardness
in her face had left as tears rolled down her cheeks. Still, she sang along,
having been handed a hymnal from Prince John's collection. Ruth had opened it to
this, her favorite song.
"Their anguish and smart,
And Sorrows depart,
Who find his salvation,
inscribed on their heart.
This blessing is mine,
Through favour divine;
But O my Redeemer,
the glory be thine.
The work is of grace;
Thine, thine be the praise;
And mine to adore thee,
and tell of thy ways."
We were all clapping now, both to the Lord and for our joy to have
found such a song. How could this song have remained hidden for so many years.
Having never heard it, it sounded new and fresh. What could it have been that
caused such a heartfelt song to be lost, I asked myself. Mary was asking the
same question, only to Ruth.
"Ruth, Ruth, what is this hymnal?"
Ruth shyly looked down.
"It's, it's the hymnal that Martin Madan put together." Ruth now
raised her eyes and looked directly at Mary. "He donated this hymnal to the
London Lock Hospital for Women in hopes that the proceeds from its sale would
help to maintain and promote the charitable cause of that institution."
Read Chapter 18 - Hymns That Convert The Soul - Click Here
From Chapter 7 - Loaves of Bread, Fish!
In the few seconds before losing consciousness, I remembered the
words that had come from the Lord, "Loaves of bread, fish!" What were the Lord's
plans for the tens of thousands of new believers he'd just laid at our doorstep?
I hummed,
"Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!"[15]
Falling back on my bed I pushed my other shoe off my foot with my
toe. Thud, I was out.
Read Chapter 7 - Loaves of Bread, Fish! - Click Here
From Chapter 8 - The Market
"Besides, we wanted to keep you humble, Ish." Asina quipped. "After
the most fantastic revival that Cagayan de Oro has ever seen, we didn't want to
give you time to bask in the accolades."
I remembered the song I'd hummed before falling to sleep, 'Grace
grace, God's grace.' It was then that I realized Asina was right, for as I
hummed, I felt no small sense of pride in having been part of that revival. I
understood moreover, that Satan's plans for the destruction of a man's ministry
go into high gear with the ministry's first great success. I prayed quietly in
my heart: 'Lord, keep my thoughts pure and toward you in all ways. Gently keep
me humble and let me lean on You and Your word only. May I give you the glory
and honor in all things.'
Read Chapter 8 - The Market
My Open Letter to Muslims contains so much about grace that I'll
just give you the link.
Read my Open Letter to Muslims - Click Here
From the footnotes to Chapter 6 - Cherry the Harlot
[17] Ephesians 2:6-9
And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly
[places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding
riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift
of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Read Chapter 6 - Cherry the Harlot - Click Here
From the footnotes to Chapter 2 - The Arrival
4] Eph 2:8&9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Read Chapter 2 - The Arrival - Click Here
From We Preach Christ Crucified
We're sinners, saved by grace.
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans
3:23
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
Read: We Preach Christ Crucified - Click Here
From Chapter 17 - Priti's Wedding
"Grandma, could we pray before your story?" Ruth interjected.
"My granddaughter, Ruth is wise. I must apologize, we barely made
it out with our lives and my anger is still hot on my tongue. Can you forgive
me, Ruth?"
"Of course, who wouldn't be upset with that horrible uncle of mine.
Maybe Sam can begin with a prayer for him."
John's mother nodded her head and then closed her eyes. Sam prayed.
"Lord, you know the hearts of all men and women. You know that
without your grace and leading that not one of us in this room could have the
faith to believe that you sent your son for us and that he died for our sins.
Thank you for this. We pray now for Anasah and his mother Arwa. We pray also for
their Imam. Lead their hearts and if necessary, in dreams and visions to see
that you are the one holy God. Bless them to shame and bring them to a saving
knowledge of You and Your Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah. In His
Name we pray."
"Amen." We agreed as one.
Read Chapter 17 - Priti's Wedding - Click Here
From Dear Pastor Don Letters
Can one guilty of adultery go to heaven? Of course. Everyone is
capable of repentance with the help of the Holy Spirit and through the grace of
God. The man being crucified with Jesus repented and saw the Kingdom of God. If
we enact the death penalty for adulterers and adulteresses in America that would
not prevent them from repenting prior to their death by stoning and if their
repentance were genuine they would see the Kingdom of God.
Why do so many pastors tell the men in their church not to divorce a wife even
for adultery? - Click Here to Read
Posted by: Pastor_Don_Milton on Oct 25, 2006 - 09:09 PM
John and Charles Wesley's Sister Married a Polygamist
For those of you who will criticize me because I am
condemning Luke Tyerman because he slandered the Reverend Westley Hall, read the
following:
Deuteronomy 19:16-19
If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him [that which
is] wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy [is], shall stand
before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those
days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, [if] the
witness [be] a false witness, [and] hath testified falsely against his brother;
Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so
shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
Luke Tyerman is a false witness as you will read in this article. His slander
against the Reverend Westley Hall took place around one hundred years after the
death of the Reverend Hall when, in 1873, he published The Oxford
Methodists. It is now around one hundred years after the death of Luke Tyerman.
I will now show that Luke Tyerman is the very "monster and brute" that he
falsely accused the Reverend Westley Hall of being. You be the judge.
The Reverend Westley Hall was a dedicated evangelist of the
18th Century who was also a polygamist. Many churches and Christian evangelicals
supported him throughout his ministry knowing full well that he was a polygamist
both in theory and in practice. Here is a summary of the Reverend
Westley Hall's family. It will soon be added to with additional footnotes.
First wife: Martha Wesley (The sister of John Wesley, founder of the
Methodists and Charles Wesley, the greatest Christian Hymn writer.)
Second wife: Mrs. Betty Rogers Hall, was for a time, the Halls' seamstress.1
Third and subsequent wives: Mrs. A. Hall, Mrs. E.R. Hall and others. I don't
know yet what order. (It was the custom of the time to
give initials only for the names of anyone involved in a relationship that
"polite society" didn't consider proper.)2
Children by Martha: ten, all died before reaching adulthood.
Children by his other wives: many, from Ireland to America. I am still
researching the descendents of Westley Hall.
The Reverend Westley Hall was the brother-in-law
of John and Charles Wesley through his marriage to their sister, Martha Wesley.
What made the Reverend Hall unique for his time, was that he openly taught that
the Bible allows polygamy, and his wife Martha knew this. In our discussion of
the Reverend Hall's life, therefore, we must put aside bigotry and understand
that the Reverend Hall took the women with whom he had relations as wives. [Let
marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for
God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Hebrews 13:4]
Martha knew
who she had married and trusted that his beliefs about marriage were based on
the Bible, and they were. Now, in order to avoid such bigotry as has attended
discussions of polygamy in the past, we must first expose the bigotry. We'll
begin by exposing the slander that has been fomented against the Reverend
Westley Hall by Luke Tyerman in the last chapter of his book, The Oxford
Methodists. He begins his attack with the first sentence of that chapter as
follows:
"It is far from pleasant to conclude a book, in
darkness and in pollution; but, in the present case, it cannot be avoided."3
This attack against the Reverend Hall is
unjustified. He was open about his polygamy so it can't be said that he did
anything in darkness. As for pollution? "Let marriage be held in honor among
all." Hebrews 13:4a. Reverend Hall only had relations with his wives, so to
accuse him of pollution is to dishonor marriage itself.
Mr. Tyerman, astoundingly, is unmoved by the very facts of the
Reverend Hall's godly life, which, in page after page of Mr. Tyerman's own
book, Mr. Tyerman himself reveals! The facts of the Reverend Hall's godly
life are apparent to the reader but Mr. Tyerman, the expositor of those facts,
is unable to take them to heart. His bigotry against polygamy colors nearly
every judgment he makes about the Reverend Hall.4
In one paragraph he attacks the Reverend Hall for disciplining his
son by putting him into a "dark closet." Is Mr. Tyerman claiming that no
monogamist mother or father has ever disciplined their child this way? No,
what disturbs Mr. Tyerman is that Martha is nursing one of the Reverend Hall's
children by another wife when this disciplinary action takes place. Would Mr.
Tyerman prefer that whenever Martha is nursing one of her husband's children by
another of his wives that their own children be allowed to misbehave? Is leaving
children without discipline, loving? It's clear that what really disturbs Mr.
Tyerman is that Martha is not only willing to share her husband with other wives
but she is willing to love the children of those other wives as if they are her
own. Even going so far as to nurse them. It upsets Tyerman and others who hate
polygamists when they see a polygamist family without strife since they boldly
claim that this is always the case in polygamist marriages. Maybe they boldly
lie that strife between wives is the rule in polygamist marriages because
the fact is there are only three such cases of strife recorded between wives in
the Bible who shared their husband; Sarah & Hagar, Leah & Rachel, and Peninnah &
Hannah. That's it! The fact is that there are more verses concerning strife
between a husband and his wife in a monogamous marriage than there are verses concerning strife between
the
wives in a polygamous marriage but we don't use that discord in monogamous marriages as grounds
for condemning them. It's bigotry, impure and simple, that leads men to condemn
polygamy for the scriptures certainly don't do it.
It's clear that the lack of discord in the Reverend Hall's family
so upset Mr. Tyerman's stereotyped view of polygamous families that he felt
compelled to condemn even the slightest infraction on the part of the husband.
It is of note that in the twenty five pages written by Mr. Tyerman about the
life of the Reverend Westley Hall that he was unable to document e |