Hear me, ye people, vouchsafe me thine ear
Then my perorations will become to thee clear.
On this day June 15, of two thousand & two
Five long years of school labor, have brought me quite through.
In the month of Augustus, in nineteen-hundred, ninety-six
Did my journey take starting, yeah, my Odyssey ‘twas fixed.
& yet quite before this, God directing my feet
In His providence guiding, in His grace, making meet.
For all ye who do hear me, I call to thy mind
That to which by nature, man in sin is made blind
For God’s holy wise men, in all ages past
Have taught us true knowledge, which forever will last.
Bring up to thy mind & thy mem’ry well refreshen
How that Man (in the first Pair), lost our bliss by one transgression
For Man sought his knowledge from a school teaching death
He sought him education, in revolt to God’s behest.
Trace down though the ages, & to Horeb you’ll come
To hear God’s Prophet Shepherd expound His holy kingdom.
Statutes, laws & orders from the KING of earth & heaven
This the wisdom of the nations, which will purge out all old leaven.
Then we come to God’s great Preacher, to the Wiseman & the King
& what his holy message, that to you & me he’ll bring?
The fear of GOD is knowledge, to love Him & hate sin
This be true education, thy wisdom this is in.
Pass by the time of promise, & cometh Christ our King
Let education now begin! Of true knowledge let us sing!
For all treasures in Him are hidden, of knowledge, wisdom & truth
And coming to this Priestly Prophet, we buy the Truth forsooth!
Christ, our only Savior, our only Light is He
& of true education’s door, He holds the only key.
Pass by ‘til later ages, you’ll see Immanuel’s fruit
For ages of saints & martyrs bear witness to His truth.
Hear now that holy man, Augustine, sing praises to his Teacher
& mark you well within his writings, this one all-telling feature
From scum & filth, unclean & foul, His Master made him pure
You ask him “What thy education?” and this thou wilt find for sure.
Come down through ages, & yon army of saints hath waxen strong
The blood of martyrs hath been seed, to fill the holy throng.
Come we to Ages Middle, and find we here ‘the Dark’?
Nay, rather, education ‘twas founded, by light from God’s holy Ark.
Saint Anselm stands to teach us wisdom, our knowledge is by faith
& seek ye truth in our God only, e’er it become too late!
For soon a pompous age ‘twas coming, professing itself wise
‘Enlightenment’ ‘twas what they called it, but God gave blinded eyes.
For in all knowledge-seeking, this man would feign forget
That all facts are created, to God man owes his debt.
For who teacheth man his wisdom? Who gave man will & reason?
And will vain man despise God’s gifts, & use them for acts of treason?!
Nay, rather, as John Calvin said, all things are for God’s glory
True education, then, with all her splendors, hath just begun her story.
Dominion is God’s call to us, to holy men will He entrust
This world & all her riches fair, for to godly men they prove no snare.
To sum up, then, I’ll tell thee true, what be my education
‘Tis the triune God’s most gracious work of holy preparation
Yeah, me by this He doth make fit for this world and for glory
God, His wise craftsmanship be doing, and this be all my story.
Finis
- Adam Jonathan Brink