Homesteader Life

Growing up I knew nothing about Patrick the evangelist to Ireland. It was not until recently that I came across his confession and wanted to learn more about him. After coming to the reformed faith out of a baptistic past, I soon found the value in learning about the great saints of the past. These are the men who’s shoulders we stand on. I read the Fathers and other important and godly men of the past, but not until Little John asked me a year ago “who St Patrick was?” did I know anything about him. I thought he might have something to do with green beer, but I couldn’t answer the boy’s question. I started reading up on him and was stunned and ashamed that I did not know anything about this giant of the faith. Patrick brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland and Ireland has not forgotten. His confession is well worth reading and it starts like so…

I am Patrick, a sinner, most unlearned, the least of all the faithful, and utterly despised by many. My father was Calpornius, a deacon, son of Potitus, a priest, of the village Bannavem Taburniæ; he had a country seat nearby, and there I was taken captive.

I was then about sixteen years of age. I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people—and deservedly so, because we turned away from God, and did not keep His commandments, and did not obey our priests, who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought over us the wrath of his anger and scattered us among many nations, even unto the utmost part of the earth, where now my littleness is placed among strangers.

And there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief that I might at last remember my sins and be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my abjection, and mercy on my youth and ignorance, and watched over me before I knew Him, and before I was able to distinguish between good and evil, and guarded me, and comforted me as would a father his son.

Hence I cannot be silent—nor, indeed, is it expedient—about the great benefits and the great grace which the lord has deigned to bestow upon me in the land of my captivity; for this we can give to God in return after having been chastened by Him, to exalt and praise His wonders before every nation that is anywhere under the heaven.

You can read it all HERE

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.