Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.Psalm 69:28
The Psalmist and the Book of Life
Remember that in a previous post we noted that the Book of Life was understood in the Old Testament societies as being something like a roll call, it listed the living citizens in a city or even an army.
In this passage the Psalmist prays for the unrighteous to be removed from the book.
In every industry and every time someone writes a book, either fiction, non-fiction, poetry or accounting people have to make many amendments to their “books”. Blogs have a reputation of mostly being of poor quality. Perhaps in content or in the spelling and grammar. Very often a blog post really needs to be rewritten before it is ready for public consumption. This blog is perhaps a good example.
In our estimation we may expect some to be found in the Book but we may get to Heaven and find a person not there. Or, we may not expect someone to be in the Book, but we may be surprised to see them in Heaven one day. The point is, while we do not want to stand as judges over others, we are always amending and changing who we expect to see in the Book of Life.
However, God makes no amendments to His Book, God already knows exactly who will be found in the Book.
What then did the Psalmist mean? I believe to have your name blotted from the book of Life is to say that it was never there.
Other Scriptures that we will look at will prove that those names in the book of Life have been there since before the foundations of the world were created. The Psalmist prays for an “amendment” in the Book, but God makes no amendments. God does not start off with every name in the Book and then as the person falls to sin strike their name from the Book. Please be assured, I am not speaking of some believer’s definition of the elect, in that they are saved against their wills.
So what can we learn from the Psalmist;s reference to the Book? The Psalmist equates righteous living with those whose names are in the Book. The behaviour of some led him to ask God to blot their names out of the Book.
The question then to ask is this, does my behaviour reflect my status in the Book of Life? Do I behave righteously? Am I truly Christian, Christlike? Would I ever need to say, “Don't judge Christ by my life” even though that is the very reason God leaves believers in this world.
To find your family or town name in the Doomsday Book has an element of status, its some thing to be proud of. More in ancient times than now the Doomsday Book could settle matters of law and the reality of life could be changed by the contents of that book.
The Book of life has to do with sanctification. Does your life reflect your status in the Book of Life? Read more
This morning he will begin a series of surgeries intended to rebuild his jawbone using bone from his hip. After today's surgery he will be on a liquid diet for a while, then I believe there is more surgery to follow.
From what I understand the recovery time is going to be difficult.
Pray that the surgery today would be successful and smooth, pray for the family to have peace as this all goes on and pray that the recovery would be quick and as easy as possible.
Pastor Tom Dotson is the missionary from Georgia, USA who led me and many of my family to Christ, he started the Christian school I attended, he has been my pastor for many years, under his preaching I was called into ministry and he introduced me to my wife.
It has been a difficult year for Pastor Dotson and Mrs. Jane. They had hoped to come here to get the dental procedure done quickly but the insurance companies did what they do best and that's to not pay out when they should.
After nearly 7 months of wrestling with them they finally have paid out and so the surgery can go ahead. Pastor Tom and Mrs. Dotson are anxious to get back to England so please remember them.
And be in pray also for Brimpton Baptist Church, it is always hard when a pastor is away for an extended time.
I will post any updates here through out the day so check back if you can.
Update: Apparently the surgery will take 7 hours so keep praying through out the day. Read more
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:3
Most Christians will know this psalm and this verse especially. We could group it with the likes of John 3:16 and Psalm 24 in terms of its familiarity. But after hearing a sermon on this verse a few months ago I have been concerned about verse 4 in my own life. More specifically, the conclusion of the principle in the last sentence
...and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper
Taking into account the fact the difference between prosperity in God's eyes and the world's eyes, and the fact that we live in different dispensations and there is something of a transition from material blessings to spiritual in the New Testament, this verse still troubles me. And here is the reason.
Does everything I do prosper? That word "whatsoever" literally means that, everything, every time. Do I prosper in every aspect of my life, in every relationship and responsibility? Looking at it that way maybe you understand why this verse could trouble me.
Nothing profound in this post, some of you may say there seldom is, but have you ever noticed how quickly George Bush, Tony Blair and now Barack Obama age in office? Some say it is all down to DNA, but there also seems to be some evidence that stress will age an individual. If I put it another way then I think there will be little doubt about what I am saying. Instead of stress, think worry. There can be no doubt that when we worry we hurt ourselves and accomplish nothing. Considering the images of Bush, Blair and Obama, let me ask a question. What are you allowing stress and worry do to you because you refuse to let God's peace rule in your hearts? According to Colossians 3:15 the peace of God is something we 'let' happen. Worry and stress is something we choose to do, it is deliberate and though it may take on an energy of its own, ultimately it is something we choose to do. Read more
Continuing with the theme of the Book of Life, kicked off by a consideration of the Doomsday Book, consider with me the Book of Life in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament and the Book of Life. Many major doctrines find mention in all portions of the Bible. You will find them in the Old Testament – Books of History, Poetry and Prophecy. You will find them mentioned in the New Testament – The Gospels, Church History and Epistles..
The Book of Life is one of those major doctrines mentioned all through the Bible..
The “Book of life” is a Jewish term and refers to the ancient and continued practice of listing the names of those living in the army or as a part of a population. When an individual died their name is removed from the Book of the Living, the Book of Life..
The Book of Life brings out several Scriptural themes:.
Assurance of Salvation
Deliverance from Judgment
Sanctification from Sin
Association with God.
Our first passage to consider is Exodus 32:22. I believe it is the first mention of the Book of Life in the Scriptures.
Exodus 32:22 – Moses and the Book of Life This section of Exodus records a dark day in Israel's history, but it is also indicative of the way Israel would often behave. Moses went up the mount to receive the Ten Commandments and in his absence the people demand that Aaron make them a god, like the ones they had in Egypt. So, the golden calf is made out of the gold they were given in Egypt. As a side note, it is amazing how we can often take what God has blessed us with to use for good but instead use it to hurt Him and others..
Once Moses is aware of the people's sin he repents, he recognises the sin of society. His repentance is admirable. Like many of the old prophets he does not disassociate himself from the people, but rather his love for them compels him to stand among them and plead for forgiveness. His life, though ultimately surrendered to God, was bound up in the people God had sent him to..
Such was Moses' love for the people that he offered to give them his place in the book of Life:
31 Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
No doubt Moses' love for the people, amongst other characteristics, is what gave him such power with God and with the people. Love will go further and cause more lasting change than anger or coercion ever could..
Other prophets loved Israel, such as Jeremiah, but I think the closest example I could draw to Moses' love is from the New Testament. In Romans 9:3 Paul cries out,
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
So what can we learn of the Book of Life from this passage?.
First of all, its antiquity. Later we will see how ancient this book is, but Moses spoke of it being written before his time. In fact, Moses says it has already been written, it was complete before Moses' day. The fact that the Book of Life is already complete is an important truth to which we will return..
It also speaks to us of assurance. There are names written in the Book, according to God's foreknowledge, and so in a sense there is assurance and confidence of our standing before God. If we come to God for salvation He will forgive us for Christ's sake. And once He saves us He will keep us..
There is also the element of personal responsibility and accountability. Moses offered to surrender his place in the Book, but God declared that the sinner himself would be blotted out. We are all accountable for our own actions AND reactions. Other people may help or hinder us, but ultimately we must make our own choices and it is for those that God will judge us..
It is a beautiful imagery to me that Christ would take His righteousness and place it in our account so that we could be saved if we repent and put our trust in Him. He took our sins and He bore our shame. I could put it no better than by quoting 2 Corinthians 5:21,
For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [God the Son].
Only the Sinless Son of God could take the place of sinners and secure a place for them in the Book of Life..
So in closing consider these questions depending on your standing before God..
Is your name in the Book? Have you taken responsibility for your actions and admitted to God you are a sinner in need of salvation?.
If your name is in the Book then what is your love like for the lost? Do you have an enduring, continual burden for those outside of Christ? A missionary is often one called to love a different people in a different place to the people with whom he grew up and the place he used to call home. But every Christian is planted somewhere. Do you love the people around you? Is it such a love that almost hurts because you see so many going out into a Christless eternity? If so, what are you doing about it? Read more
There are several things that amaze me about the Doomsday Book. Here they are in no particular order:
It's Antiquity
It's Detail
It's Finality
It's Antiquity-It dates from 1086 and we still have it. Of course there are older castles, older trees and lots of other older records written in stone. However, for a record of this kind it is unique and it has stood the test of time.
It's Detail-In our day getting a detailed record of every property and possession would take very sophisticated computers and programs. Now imagine doing that with just pencil and paper. The details recorded in the Doomsday Book are impressive to say the least.
It's Finality-The Doomsday Book received it's name after it became such a reliable and dependable document that it was compared with the Book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible and chronicle of the final judgments on humanity.
The Book of Revelation mentions, along with a number of other Biblical books, a great book than the Doomsday Book. It is more ancient, more detailed and more final than the Doomsday Book could ever hope to be.
The Book of Life-The Book of Life and associated books (which I'll talk about later) appear all through the Scriptures. Their antiquity stretch back before the creation of the world, their details include the names of every individual who has ever lived and ever will live, they also record everything we have ever done or ever will do. And they are the final record used to judge our lives.
Today I just want to give a summery, but over the next week or so I want to do something of a survey of the Bible and the Book of Life.
In Luke 10 the disciples return from one of the missions Christ had sent them on and they rejoiced because of everything they had seen. In verse 17 they give their excited report,
Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Amazing things had happened. Growing up they had learned about the miracles in the Old Testament. They sat in awe when they heard tales of Elijah and Elisha calling fire from Heaven and defying the wicked enemies. Now they were the heroes! Now they were living the adventures! I am sure they gave all the glory to God, but you know the excitement of knowing God has used you! You know the excitement of seeing God work a miracle in your life, you see the impossible happen and you get excited!
These disciples came back to Jesus and they were buzzing! Nothing like this had happened in many hundreds of years and now they found themselves playing a part in this wonderful new story in which God was working! But when they return to Christ, He does not pour cold water on them, but neither does He let them focus on the wrong thing. Christ gives an answer bringing them back to what really matters.
18 I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
The disciples cast out demons, Christ declares that He saw Satan cast out of heaven. Christ then gives wonderful promises about what they will do through His name. Then, perhaps with a compassionate smile, He tells them,
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
We will work through all the details of the Book of Life over the next few posts, but I'll jump to the conclusion here. If you're name is not in the Book of Life then you do not enter Heaven. Plain and simple. There are other books as I mentioned above. Books that contain every thing you have ever thought, said or done. If you think the Doomsday Book is detailed imagine a book containing everything about you. Have no doubts that your good deeds will not outweigh your bad. You may try to excuse yourself, but one of the godliest men in the Bible honestly admitted,
If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
Job has just asked how a man can be right with God and immediately he admits that he couldn't honestly excuse any of the sins he has committed.
The Bible also talks about imputation, this simply means to credit something to someone else's account. When Christ died on the cross He paid the debt of our sins. When we sin we transgress God's law and for that there is a punishment. Christ took that punishment upon Himself. But more than that He made His righteousness, the standard God requires, available to us. If we accept God's gift of salvation then God will impute, He will credit, to our account the righteousness of Christ. Our sins will be forgiven, our names will be found in the Book of Life. Instead of Hell and punishment we receive friendship with God and eternal life in Heaven with God.
This is a summery of many of the ideas we will be going over in the next few days. But realise that this really is a matter of life and death. I'll close with this question.
If you were to die today and stand before God, are you confident your name will be in the Book of Life? Read more
The introduction to this is a little long perhaps, but hopefully you'll enjoy this anyway. Bear with me as I introduced the topic and come back soon to see the spiritual application.
Recently I mentioned to some friends something in British history called the Doomsday Book or Domesday Book (It has it's own site here, www.domesdaybook.co.uk). I want to share a little about it.
Mass immigration is not a modern issue only. In 1066 William the Conqueror invaded England. William was one of three men fighting for the throne of England at that time. All three men had some more or less valid reason to lay claim. Edward the Confessor had died and it seemed to be commonly believed he had named William as his successor.
However, another main competitor for the throne was Harold Godwinson, or Harold II. He was the last Anglo-Saxon king before the Norman invasion in 1066.
Edgar Ætheling was the third contender but was of much less consequence than the other two. The family relations between them all are a little complex, but suffice to say that William the "Conqueror" won (hence the conqueror bit). The Normans then entered the mix of peoples that already existed. According to one site even in Roman days the population was made up of
red-headed people in Scotland, small, dark-haired folk in Wales and lanky blondes in southern England (source).
But by 1000 AD you had those classified as Britons made up of the ancient tribes as well as Anglo-Saxons, Germanic tribes, and Picts. . Interestingly the name "Celts" is thought to be something of a modern invention. See the source I listed above. Another interesting fact, the Picts were the original peoples of modern day Scotland, the Scottish were foriegn invaders from Ireland.
So, all that to say that when William the Conqueror invaded Britain in 1066 he needed a way to know the state of the country. To achieve this he commissioned, in 1086, what we now know as the Doomsday Book. A record of 13,418 settlements covering everything south of the border with Scotland. The book has survived the last 900+ years! A part of the introduction to the Doomsday Book explains its purpose,
After this had the king a large meeting, and very deep consultation with his council, about this land; how it was occupied, and by what sort of men. Then sent he his men over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out 'How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what stock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire.' Also he commissioned them to record in writing, 'How much land his archbishops had, and his diocesan bishops, and his abbots, and his earls;' and though I may be prolix and tedious, 'What, or how much, each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in land or in stock, and how much money it were worth.' So very narrowly, indeed, did he commission them to trace it out, that there was not one single hide, nor a yard of land, nay, moreover (it is shameful to tell, though he thought it no shame to do it), not even an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine was there left, that was not set down in his writ. And all the recorded particulars were afterwards brought to him.
It is known as the Doomsday Book because, according to Richard FitzNigel writing around 1179, the English equated it with the Day of Judgment recorded in the book of Revelation,
"for as the sentence of that strict and terrible last account cannot be evaded by any skilful subterfuge, so when this book is appealed to ... its sentence cannot be put quashed or set aside with impunity. That is why we have called the book 'the Book of Judgement' ... because its decisions, like those of the Last Judgement, are unalterable."
And, all that to say that the village which we will be going back to work in, the one where my home church is and where I went to school, is listed in the Doomsday Book. The record for Brimpton says,
Brimpton, Brintone: Robert FitzGerald; Ralph de Mortimer. 2 churches, 3 mills, dairy.The Knight's Templar once held the chapel.
These days it hasn't changed much I guess. What has all of this got to do with my ministry, this blog, you, or the price of tea in China? Well, for one thing it reveals a little more about British culture and history and it shares a little about the place to which we are going.
But as well, it is an interesting illustration which reminds me of another ancient record. Check back soon to see to which record I am referring. Read more
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. - Proverbs 27:21
This proverb holds a good principle for every individual to remember, but perhaps especially preachers. Few things can so quickly and so subtly destroy a man as praise.
A superstar in the golfing world, Arnold Palmer, tells the story of a time when he responded to praise with pride and it ultimately cost him dear. He was approaching the final hole of the 1961 Masters Tournament. He was in the lead and the victory should have been his. However, as he approached the ball an old friend watching from the side signaled for him to come over. He walked across to the friend who went on to shake his hand and prematurely say, "Congratulations!"
Palmer recounts that as soon as he accepted that praise he knew he had lost his focus. With a few bad strokes he lost a tournament that should have been his.
Praising an individual for something they have done is fine on many levels. How an individual receives that praise makes the difference.
Consider instead one of the greatest leaders of the United Kingdom and probably in political history, Winston Churchill. Churchill was not what you would call a humble man, but he was also realistic when receiving praise. Someone once made the comment to him,
Doesn’t it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech, the hall is packed to overflowing?
Sir Winston Churchill wisely replied,
It’s quite flattering,but whenever I feel that way, I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big.
This proverb indicates that a man's response to praise will do the same thing as the fining pot for silver or a furnace for gold-it will reveal the character of the man. One commentator describes praise this way,
Thus vain men seek it, weak men are inflated by it, wise men disregard it...
My personal experience of learning about praise stems from traveling and preaching. By the grace of God there have been occasions when I preached and an individual came to me and would say something along the lines of, "That's one of the best sermons I have heard in a long time." To a young preacher that can be encouraging, but if not careful it can be destructive. A friend gently pointed out to me that his response may have been different if he had heard me preach every week for a year. Since then I have learned that a visiting preacher can say exactly the same thing as the preacher did the previous week and some one will respond as if they had never heard it before. That's not a complaint, it just human nature. I am guilty of the same thing I am sure.
So what does this mean for us?
Should we thank a preacher for a good sermon, a singer for a good song or any individual for a commendable act? Yes, I believe we should. A word of encouragement can work miracles. Though, we should be cautious not to over do the praise and put someone in danger of believing you too much!
What should our response be when we receive praise? It has become my habit if someone thanks me for a sermon that I simply say something like, "Praise God." I appreciate a word of encouragement, but the day I believe "I" preached a good sermon is the day God will bring something into my life to humble me.
A man's response to praise will reveal his character.
I'll close with a quote from C.H. Spurgeon,
"Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace." - Charles Spurgeon
This is adapted from a post I put on the Faith Baptist Church blog when I was there. It is from August, 2007. I have long known about relativism, the teaching that all truth is relative to a fixed point. So, in essence, there can be many ideas about truth each as valid as another. So, I could say that 2 + 2 = 4 and you could say 2 + 2= 5 and we could both be right in the world of relativism.
While I appreciate and concede that some understanding is influenced by our upbringing, culture etc., I must say that I believe truth is truth. If we disagree about something it must be that one of us is right and you are wrong (I am just joking, I trust God will always keep me teachable).
More recently I came across a philosophy prevalent in some church circles, and that is philosophical pluralism. It is very close to relativism, it ties in with post-modernism and several other man-made ideas.
What philosophical pluralism allows is for an individual to say “I believe Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life” and then turn around and say, “I believe God can save people in many different ways.”
Can there be many truths or just one truth? In the Math equation above can we both be right? I do not believe so.
I believe the Bible teaches that truth is truth. If Christ said He is the only Way to the Father then I believe there is no other way.
No doubt I’ll be putting more on the blog about this in coming months but this is a start to get you thinking.
This article got me thinking about it this evening though: Google Health
Why are people so prepared to trust Google, even with their HEALTH, yet they will not trust the tried and tested Word of God? They accept truth that is offered by some anonymous website but not Christians in their lives or the Bible?
What about you? Do you believe the Bible? Do you trust Christians? If not, then why not? We want to invite every one with questions to come along and meet with us.
Why not me and we can discuss why you do not trust the Bible.. Read more
The last few weeks we have been in South Carolina, Tennessee, back to South Carolina, then I traveled up to Pennsylvania for a week before returning back to South Carolina. On the way up to Pennsylvania and on the way back down I was able to stop and visit with churches in Virginia.
We spent about ten days in Tennessee staying with the Stagners at New Testament Baptist Church in Goodlettsville. It was a great time and I had the opportunity to arrange meetings with some pastors in the area. Our stay there was a blessing but eventually we had to head home to South Carolina. It is an 8 hour drive each way and I thank the Lord for how well the children traveled.
After a short stay at home I traveled on my own up to Pennsylvania, another ten hours drive.
As I mentioned, on the way up to Pennsylvania I stopped to visit a church in Virginia. The 4th of July is obviously quite a big deal over here, something about a war against the English. So, I was not sure if I would have the opportunity to preach. However, I had been put in touch with Grace Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia. My friend, Mike Barnett at Grace Baptist in Tarboro, North Carolina, had arranged for me to visit with them for the weekend.
Pastor Nunnally and the people at Grace were very hospitable and I really enjoyed my time with them. I cannot thank them enough for their kindness and generosity. Pastor Nunnally gave me the opportunity to teach the adult Sunday School class and to preach in the afternoon service. I really appreciated them all.
I had driven 5 hours north and arrived in Dinwiddie, stayed there at Grace for the weekend and then on Monday drove a further 5 hours up to Nottingham, Pennsylvania. I had been invited to a camp meeting there by some good friends of mine.
Again, I was warmly welcomed and had a great blessing visiting with them. I feel that week I made some genuine friends and I look forward to getting to know them all more. Some of the pastors I met there have kindly offered to let me visit their church's and share my ministry.
Then after a great week I headed home and stopped in with Pastor Thacker in Orange, Virginia. I enjoyed the opportunity to briefly visit with them before continuing the trip south.
I arrived home late Sunday night. We had anticipated being in Georgia for most of the week but things did not work out as planned and instead we found ourselves staying in South Carolina.
Since then I have been sending out letters and making numerous phone calls trying to arrange more meetings in which we can share our ministry. I have enjoyed speaking with several pastors and look forward to meeting them in person.
Please do continue to keep us in prayer. Read more
A few years ago a friend of mine, Pastor Stephen Boreland, became pastor of Bethesda Free Church in Sunderland, England. Bethesda has a rich history which I would love to share more about another time. However, what Bethesda has long been famous for is a strong tradition of sound, doctrinal teaching. Some of the best known teachers of modern history were once pastors at Behtesda.
Stephen Boreland is continuing that line. One way he has raised the profile of the church in recent days has been Tuesday Nights at Bethesda. Their midweek meeting is adapted to allow a focus on teaching through a particular book or topic over a ten week period. I would like to share here the series on the first 10 chapters of Genesis from 2009. {music}audio/tnab_genesis{/music} Read more
While I was in Bible School in Northern Ireland I attended Braehill Baptist Church in north Belfast. David Moore was the pastor at that time but has since moved to become the pastor of Milton Baptist Church in England. The other day while traveling I listened to a sermon he preached entitled "Worms" and I wanted to share it with you. I know it'll be a blessing. (If you are viewing this on an RSS Reader you may need to come to the site to access the audio).
{mp3remote}http://www.thewickens.info/audio/dmoore/613101131170.mp3{/mp3remote} Read more
Amidst all the patriotic fervour (note the 'u') in the USA this weekend I starting thinking of some of the verses of the British national anthem, God Save the Queen. Most know the first verse only,
God save our gracious Queen Long live our noble Queen God save the Queen! Send her victorious Happy and glorious Long to reign over us God save the Queen!
But there are a number of other notable verses which very few know about.
One of my favourites (again note the 'u') is this one,
One realm of races four Blest more and ever more God save our land! Home of the brave and free Set in the silver sea True nurse of chivalry God save our land!.
Some of the fun ones would be these,
O Lord our God arise, Scatter her enemies, And make them fall: Confound their politics; Frustrate their knavish tricks; ON thee our hopes we fix; God save us all.
From France and Pretender Great Britain defend her, Foes let them fall; From foreign slavery, Priests and their knavery, And Popish Reverie, God save us all.
While I smile at the reference to France in that last verse, I can certainly agree with the prayer that God deliver us from slavery to man and man-made religion. These last verses show a great desire for right behaviour toward God as well as man. The words in all these verses should be a great challenge and blessing to the citizens of the United Kingdom today. They reflect a Godly purpose and foundation, one which we must regain if we are to see God's blessings on us as a nation once again.
God bless our native land! May heaven's protecting hand Still guard our shore: May peace her power extend, Foe be transformed to friend, And Britain's rights depend On war no more.
2 Lord, our monarch bless With strength and righteousness: Long may she reign:Her heart inspire and move With wisdom from above; And in a nation's love Her throne maintain
3. May just and righteous laws Uphold the public cause, And bless our isle: Home of the brave and free, Thou land of liberty, We pray that still on thee Kind heaven may smile.
And this final verse definitely has overtones of evangelism for me as a Christian:
4. Nor on this land alone, But be God's mercies known From shore to shore: Lord make the nations see That men should brothers be, And form one family The wide world o'er Read more
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So, all that to say that when William the Conqueror invaded Britain in 1066 he needed a way to know the state of the country. To achieve this he commissioned, in 1086, what we now know as the Doomsday Book. A record of 13,418 settlements covering everything south of the border with Scotland. The book has survived the last 900+ years! A part of the introduction to the Doomsday Book explains its purpose,
