An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/From the "Bequest of the Dying Mother of the Unity of Brethren"

by Johan Amos Comenius

For other English-language translations of this work, see Bequest of the Dying Mother of the Unity of Brethren.

JAN AMOS KOMENSKÝ (COMENIUS)

1592–1670

From the “Bequest of the Dying Mother of the Unity of Brethren”

“THEE, Czech and Moravian nation, beloved country, I cannot forget now that my parting from thee is over, but foremost in returning to thee, I make thee successor and foremost heir of my treasures, which the Lord entrusted unto me, after the example of sundry rich Roman citizens and neighbouring kings who, when dying, appointed the community of Rome, which held sway over a great span of the earth, as inheritor of their possessions. I, too, believe before God that after the passing of the storms of wrath, brought down upon our heads by our sins, the rule over thine own possessions shall return to thee again, O Czech people! And for this hope do I make thee inheritor of everything not only all that I have inherited from my forefathers, and have preserved notwithstanding the troublous and grievous times, but also whatever increase I have received in any good work through the labour of my sons and the blessing of God, this all do I wholly bequeath and deliver to thee, and more especially:

“In the first place, love for the pure truth of God, the which to us before other nations the Lord first began to manifest by the service of our master, Jan Hus, and the which he with his fellow-worker and many other faithful Czechs sealed with his blood, and from which the Antichrist by his guile at the Council of Basel led thee away for that time and thereafter by warlike and cruel power, yet have I with my sons, who desired to follow the light, hitherto striven to cleave fast to it. Thine is this heritage, bestowed upon thee before other nations, beloved country. Take possession of thine own rights again, as thine own, when the Lord showeth mercy unto thee, and the Lord, thy Saviour, restoreth a pathway unto his truth.

“Secondly, I command unto thee a zealous desire for an ever fuller and clearer understanding of this same truth of God, that, knowing the Lord, thou endeavour to recognise Him more abundantly. And whereas the Lord enjoined that the Holy Scriptures should be searched, I bequeath unto thee as a heritage the Book of God, the Holy Bible, which my sons did render from the original tongues (in which God ordained it to be written) into Czech with great diligence (sundry learned men spending unto fifteen years upon this labour), and the Lord God so blessed it, that few there are of nations yet which have heard the prophets and apostles speaking so faithfully, aptly and clearly in their own tongue. Take possession of this therefore as thine own jewel, beloved country, and employ this for the glory of God and thyself in good upbringing. And although copies of this Book of God were burnt by enemies, wherever they could lay hands on them, yet by the mercy of the same God, who ordered the Books of Jeremiah, torn up and burnt by the ungodly Jehoiakim, to be written anew, and the law of God, torn up and burnt by Antiochus the tyrant, soon afterwards, arousing the godly Ptolemy, caused to be rendered in the Greek tongue and conveyed to the knowledge of other nations, so unto thee shall this Book of God be preserved, be sure and doubt not.

Thirdly, I do commend especially also love for the ordinances of the Church and this beloved doctrine (which should and must be among the children of God), that thereafter ye may count Christ not only as a prophet in the pulpit, not only as a priest and bishop by the altar, but also as a King with throne and sceptre to pass judgment upon the disobedient. Now, what the Lord revealed unto me in His grace, that have I not hidden; it hath been brought unto the light. Do thou use this also, beloved country, for thine own good, either as has been done by me, or as may be discovered from the Holy Scriptures to be the most edifying way and after the example of the early apostolic Church! for to build upon old foundations, whenever the Temple of God is renewed, this is the safest.

“Fourthly, I do impart zeal in serving the Lord God and in serving Him with single endeavour. What I have yearned for from my beginnings, that the memorials of my forefathers and the history written by Jan Lasicius concerning my affairs, do testify. This indeed could I myself not fully use, save that in the year 1575 I joined in common with my nation of both confessions, and in the year 1610 with the common consistory; but may God grant in His mercy (the which desire I will seal either with my life or my death, even as the Lord may command) that the third union may be the most perfect, a union of all the remainders of my children with all other remainders whatsoever of faithful Czechs, that the branch of Judah and the branch of Ephraim may be one branch in the hand of God, when our scattered bones are gathered together again, and are endued with flesh and skin and filled with the spirit of life by the Almighty Lord, unto whom nothing is impossible.

“Fiftly, I do impart also unto thee and thy sons eagerness in the polishing, cleansing and fostering of our dear and beloved native language; wherein the devotion of my sons was known in bygone times, when by the more understanding persons it hath been said that there was no better Czech than that in use among the Brethren and in their books. But some there are now, who have applied themselves thereunto even more diligently, also those driven forth from their country, that by the preparing of useful books and such as are written with a more cultivated pen than was previously the wont, they might help thy sons the more easily to attain all manner of noble comeliness in their deeds and speech, in wisdom and eloquence, a happy recompense for the desolation now ensuing, until the Lord may bring about times of amendment. Whatsoever then of this may be found, of old books or new, this receiving from my sons, take as thine own for such as shall seem best to thee.

“Sixthly, I bequeath to thee a better, more diligent and successful upbringing of youth than heretofore. This have I overlooked, entrusting myself to foreigners, who rendered my sons wanton and corrupt. If it had pleased God to restore me to more placid times, I would seck to make amends for this; but losing hope for myself, I entreat thee, beloved country, most importunately, that thou amend it. Divers of my sons have laboured likewise in this matter, and have prepared a method for the better upbringing of youth, the which other nations, without regard to religion, have begun to take in hand. But unto thee foremost it appertaineth, and when the time cometh, neglect not thine heritage, the which they are removing from thee. In short, all my remains, as ashes after my burning, unto thee, beloved country, do I commend, that thou therefrom may prepare lye for the cleansing of thy children from their stains; even as the Lord made me in my beginnings, by raising me and my children out of the ashes of Hus.

“But what more is there to say? The time is coming for me to cease and to bid you farewell, beloved country! But what then? Even as the patriarch Jacob, upon his death-bed bidding his sons farewell, gave unto them his blessing; even as Moses, departing from his people: from whose lips I am taking the words, unto thee, O Czech nation, bidding thee farewell, utter a blessing from the Lord thy God, that thou above all be and remain a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. Notwithstanding that they have filled thee with bitterness and have shot arrows at thee, the archers holding thee in secret hatred, yet may thy bow abide in strength, and may the arms of thy hands be strengthened from the hands of the Mighty Jacob, from the powerful God, whom thy fathers served, who helpeth thee, and from the Almighty, who blesseth thee with the heavenly blessing from above, with the blessing of the deep-lying abyss, with the blessing of the breast and body. May my blessing be stronger with thee than the blessing of my forefathers, even unto the regions of the eternal hills.

“Be of good cheer, O nation consecrated unto God; perish not. May thy men be without number. Bless, O Lord, their exploits, and may the toil of their hands be well pleasing unto Thee! Shatter the loins of their enemies, and of those who hate them, that they rise no more! May thy time come, that the nations may say: ‘Blessed art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, who is the shield of thy help and the sword of thine excellency? Assuredly shall thine enemies be abased, that thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Thine, O Lord, is the salvation, and upon the people be thy blessing, Selah.’”