What kind of man?
Dear Soul, A Manuale--is an impressive work of inspirational literature and rises far beyond place and time and Martin Moller's expectations of, "my little book." Rich with expressive language and with the gentleness of a pastor, Martin Moller guides his little flock through the difficult waters of a life lived in the cognizance of dying, and the dying to the open waters of Eternal Life. It is a journey of love undertaken by one man so overcome by the love of his Savior that he spends agonizing days and years pushing through the onset of his blindness to give his little flock--but now we see the world, this remarkable work.
Martin Moller gives us precise doctrine, self-learned, in a manner in which it is easily integrated into one's life. He touches our souls with his kindness, makes us willing to break our hard hearts to penance--that which the Western church has shunned, and raises our brokeness to a spirit of gladness and exaltation. This humble work, Martin Moller's "little book", should find it's way into the hands of all seekers, of all the condemmed, of the crushed, the broken, the proud everywhere. From New-Age to Anabaptist there is not a person who cannot be renewed in spirit from reading this remarkable work.
Into The Nothingness
"The heart of the faithful Christian has made the calculation a long time ago. He safegaurds himself from secureness." Martin Moller, Preface I.4.
To live in The Nothingness Spaces. Martin Moller warns the comfortable Christian of feeling so secure that he has no time for the consideration of The Eternal and that he will not be able to sufficiently separate himself at the end from those things for which he is grateful and have cherished on this earth, including wife and children, hearth and home--those things most dear to all. How can we separate those things we are grateful for, yet position ourselves to enter into and receive the treasures of The Eternal?
Are we not many comfortable? Good job. Nice retirement. Fine family. Most are not in these places. They suffer loss and live continually on the edge. Families suffer terribly. Death steals away our loved ones. Whether we have, or we have not, when we are pressed we tend to put our faith into future earthy benefits. My retirement. A change of jobs. Win the lottery. Entitlement Benefits. We don't think in terms of this being offensive to God, however it is faith misconceived. Faith is due to God alone.
If we are comfortable in anything, and we all are graced with a few of these or else we should be overcome with the grief of this world, when we have thoughts of loss it is helpful to say, "But what if NOTHING should materialize?" No job, no money, no tax refund, the loss of benefits, the loss of family. What shall take it's place? Then one shall sit back and. . . . WAIT. In time, that wait becomes shorter, for we KNOW what shall fill the space. It is God himself. It is standing on glass and finding oneself in The Nothingness Space filled around and standing on. . . .God Himself.
"The righteous Christian person has chosen the rightfully beneficial part; he rejoices in the exuberant wealth of the eternal good of God." Martin Moller, Preface I.4. Herein we begin to understand The Mystery.
To find in the Reflection that which is real
Reflection
and the Faith-Life. The beginning of Martin Moller's Preface is a
bold and scholarly condemnation of the life without the Holy Ghost, a
life without Jesus Christ. He uses the wisdom and perceptions of the
Romans to elucidate what kind of death will be faced without the
Faith-Life in Jesus Christ as one of hopelessness and fear. Fear is
all that is without God, but fear with no hope is horrific. Just as
Solomon does in the Book of Proverbs, Moller contrasts The Way of the
Wicked with The Way of the Righteous. It is a raucous beginning,
filled with percussion and dissonance.
Then
with gentleness the drums subside and the strings pick up a lovely
melody, he summarizes succinctly The Way to Life as, “The faithful,
penitent Christian person. . .knows the LORD his creator; and he
rejoices in having found faith in God; he makes use of all gifts of
God with gratitude; he praises God who has created everything so well
and wisely; he keeps in mind day and night that he too may come to
his God and live with him forever.”
All things that make for a
successful and well-lived Faith-Life, Martin Moller has collected so
well for the reader. Martin Moller's concern that The Believer has
confidence in the final hours is evident throughout The Work,
therefore, he urges, “contemplate in all urgency and diligence the
most significant difference between a believing and penitent human's
life and departure.” Reflection. Faith-Life. Live Deep. Consider
well. Be caught into The Mystery in such a way as though you stare
long at The Reflection. Something hidden, yet mysteriously
Beautiful. Find Him there.
my thanks to Dianna Joan Hueneburg for the lovely picture of Dunnegan Park, Bolivar MO.
Revelation and The Contemplative Life
“For
what is a Christian life? Nothing else than a human being
contemplating his uncertain end”. . .in the Presence of a Living
God. Martin Moller, contemplative-mystic. Is he relevant in an age
of speed and mind-staggering data?
What can this simple preacher of
c1590 bring to our early 21st
Century intellect and insights? Political, economic and
environmental uncertainty. Wars and rumors of wars. Curtains of Dark
Understanding all but hide The Light. But wait! Are we here on the
Planet with nothing personal to guide us? Here and there The Light
can be found. Through the curtains a small glimmer of Light strikes
our attention. And how can we see it lest we are at times deep
within our Spirit listening to The One?
We falter and loose our way.
We do the things that people do. We have families. We make for
ourselves a career. We stop occasionally to consider The Light. We
begin to recognize it's Presence. It comes to fullness and suddenly
we stand rejoicing in a Pillar of Light. A beautiful, bright Path
appears. We are no more lost in The Uncertainty of history in radical
dovetail towards Eternity. We have not been left without many
Personal Guides to usher us into The Mystery. “ The Path
Of The Just Is As The Shining
Light, That Shineth More
And More
Unto
The Perfect
Day.”
Prov.4:18.
The Bible, heavily layered with mystery and
encoded with meaning, meaning available to those who, as Martin
Moller would exhort live, at least in measure, The Contemplative
Life.
With grateful hearts we welcome with exuberance the Gift of Light from Martin
Moller, nearly 500 years hidden from most of the world, but now, “just in the
nick of time,” as Paul the Apostle might say, we have Light for our Path along a
darkened road.
In Dying, Life.
The Dead Self
Whereas the Bible is often difficult for the
reader, Martin Moller—sublime spirit, humble preacher, is readily
available to the reader. He is at once the common man and like as I, and
the devoutly religious, self-educated scholar.
It is now The Magic Hour. I look down. There lies on the floor a rumpled Self,
as it were a costume unzipped and stepped out of. There lies on the floor
mySelf; a self that came into the world hesitant, arrogant, stubborn, afraid,
childish. There stands looking down a Self made anew; one of grace,
beauty and right-doing. It is in Spirit the very image of the Christ, only in a
rather goofy-looking body, and, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” 2
Cor. 4a. It is The Dead Self.
Martin Moller got it. He
was abundantly aware of being caught up in a new movement, a tsunami
wave of the Spirit of God moving thru stale, life-stealing doctrine
and ignorance. A man of The Renaissance and preceding The Age of
Reason, and writing about 60 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95
Theses to the door of the church, Martin Moller struggled to depart
from the doctrine of confession in particular. Boldly, he found his
voice, a highly evangelical, pleading voice. Martin Moller bids all
to come, come into death and find. . .LIFE.
From Martin Moller in his
own humble voice: I hope that this work will bring glory and honor to
my God, benefit and comfort to all my beloved, and a Christian life
and a blessed death to all guileless hearts.
