Book of Elders

Hearken diligently, O children of men, and incline your heart unto the law of generations; for time floweth as a river that cannot be stayed, and the days of man are determined upon the earth.

Give ear, O earth, and be glad, for the cycle of life is a tapestry woven by hands unseen, and the old and the young are bound together in one bundle of life, that nothing be lost.

Behold, the elderly that dwell in your tents are not a burden to be borne with sighing, neither are they a weariness unto the soul; but they are a crown of glory, and a precious gift from the womb of time.

Let no man among you look upon the gray head with an averted eye, nor walk past the ancient of days with a heavy heart, for in their presence abideth the beauty of an accomplished journey.

As a tree that hath stood against the storms of many seasons, whose roots go deep into the hidden fountains of the earth, so is the aged man and the aged woman among the inhabitants of the land.

Approach therefore the presence of the elderly with a holy reverence, and let thy footsteps be soft within their gates, for the ground whereon they stand is hallowed by the footsteps of years.

To minister unto them in the hour of their weakness is a sacred honor, a magnificent duty laid upon the hands of the living, that the strength of the young may sustain the wisdom of the old.

For the body may fail, and the eyes may grow dim, and the hand that once broke the clods of the valley may tremble at the cup; yet the spirit within them shineth as a lamp that cannot be put out.

Whosoever mocketh the infirmity of the aged, or hideth his face from their necessity, the same despiseth his own future and doubleth the sorrow of his own house.

But he that comforteth the feeble knees, and holdeth the hand that is withered, shall find that his own foundation is made strong against the day of adversity.

Let thy substance be poured out to satisfy their desire, and let their dwellings be filled with peace; for they have borne the heat and burden of the day, and their evening should be serene as the twilight.

They are the guardians of the threshold, the keepers of the ancient paths, who have watched over thy childhood and made straight the paths for thy feet when thou knewest it not.

Therefore shall every soul account it a great privilege to serve them, to provide for their wants with an open hand, and to surround their grey hairs with the majesty of love.

For the breath of the aged is the bridge between the days that were and the days that are yet to come, and to lose them is to lose the anchor of thy soul.

Before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, thou shalt gather the words of their mouth.

For before a generation is gathered unto its fathers, and before their place knoweth them no more, there is a work of great necessity to be done under the sun.

Thou shalt diligently record the history of every person, from the least unto the greatest, that the record of their walk may endure through all generations.

Let not the wisdom of their journey perish in the dust of the sepulchre, neither let their sighs or their triumphs be swallowed up by the silence of the grave.

Sit thou at their feet while the lamp of life yet burneth, and write down the words of their mouth, for their speech is a treasure more precious than fine gold.

Every scar upon their brow hath a voice, and every line upon their face is a letter written by the finger of experience; read them with understanding.

Record the days of their youth, how they walked in the morning of their life, and what manner of trials beset them in the wilderness of their testing.

Write down their victories, how they overcame the adversary, and how they found light in the midst of great darkness, that the children yet unborn may take courage therefrom.

Forget not their sorrows, the tears they shed in the night season, and the bereavements that bowed down their heads; for by sorrow the heart is made better.

Preserve the memory of their labor, the works of their hands, the fields they planted, and the houses they builded, that their works may follow them.

And look also into thine own heart, O scribe of time, and record the history of thine own footsteps, that thy walk may be weighed in the balances of truth.

Write the story of thine own uprightness, and hide not thy transgressions, that those who follow after thee may know that thou wert a man of like passions.

Keep a faithful chronicle of thy thoughts, the visions of thy head upon thy bed, and the purposes that did shape the course of thy life.

For no man liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself; but the life of every individual is a thread in the garment of the whole people.

Thou shalt also write the history of thy people, the congregation of thy brethren, how they grew from a small seed into a great tree that covereth the hills.

Forget not the covenant of thy fathers, the principles they cherished, and the heritage they left behind, for a people without a past is as a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.

Set down in order the history of thy nation, the land of thy nativity, the rulers that bore sway, and the statutes that were established among you.

Record the times of prosperity, when the earth yielded her increase and peace was within thy walls, that thanksgiving may abound in the hearts of the children.

And record likewise the times of famine, of pestilence, and of war, when the hearts of the people melted for fear, that posterity may learn watchfulness.

Write of the revolutions of states, the changing of times, and the pulling down of strongholds, for in all these things the destiny of man is made manifest.

Let nothing be omitted that hath affected or touched the borders of thy life, whether it be from afar or near at hand, for all things work together in the grand design.

The stranger that passed through thy gates, the counsel of the wise friend, and the opposition of the enemy let them all find a place in thy book.

For history is the sacred text of time, a holy scripture of the ages, written not on tables of stone, but in the unfolding of human lives.

It is the great chronicle of the world, the testimony of the years, which crieth out from the dust and speaketh unto the ears of the living.

Every life is a testament, every memory a commandment, and every generation a chapter in the great volume of humanity.

Therefore let the ink never dry upon the parchment of thy days, and let the pen of the ready writer be ever in thy hand, to record the truth.

Go to, ye sons of men, build your libraries and prepare your archives, that the treasures of the mind may be preserved from the tooth of time.

Let the fathers teach the children, and let the elders declare it to the youth, that the chain of remembrance may never be broken under heaven.

For when history is forgotten, the darkness of ignorance covereth the land, and the people wander as blind men in the noon-day.

If thou knowest not whence thou camest, thou canst not tell whither thou goest, and thy footsteps shall stumble upon the dark mountains.

But when the past is kept alive in the heart, it is as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day-star arise.

Consider the generations of old; ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee of the wonders of former times.

They will tell thee how the wilderness was tamed, how the foundations of justice were laid, and how the light of knowledge was brought into the world.

Shall all this labor be in vain? Shall the wisdom of the centuries be buried in oblivion because the living are too slothful to write it down?

Nay, let it be an ordinance forever in Israel, and a statute among all people, that the history of every soul be held in everlasting remembrance.

Bring forth the books, open the scrolls, and let the deeds of the past be rehearsed in the ears of the congregation, that virtue may be praised.

Let the young man read of the patience of the aged, and let the young maiden learn from the modesty of the matriarch, that wisdom may increase.

For the beauty of young men is their strength, but the grey head is the beauty of old men, because it representeth the riches of the soul.

Despise not therefore the day of small things, nor the quiet voice of the aged sleeper, for out of their mouth hath proceeded the strength of thy nation.

When they speak, let there be silence in the assembly, and let their words be weighed with gravity, for they speak from the watchtower of years.

And when they can no longer speak, when their lips are closed in death, let their written words remain as a monument more enduring than marble.

For a book written in truth cannot be destroyed by the fire of the adversary, neither can the water of forgetfulness drown its testimony.

It shall stand as a witness for them, and a guide for thee, through all the changing scenes of this transitory world.

Thus shall the living pay their debt unto the dead, and the present shall do honor unto the past, that the future may be blessed.

Let every house have its book of remembrance, and let every lineage keep its roll of honor, that the names of the righteous be not blotted out.

Write how thy family walked in integrity, how they loved one another in truth, and how they entertained strangers in the day of necessity.

Record the simple blessings of the fireside, the songs that were sung at evening, and the prayers that ascended unto the heavens in the hour of trouble.

For these small things are the substance of life, the true wealth of a people, which cannot be bought with silver or gold.

And when thou hast recorded the past, look around thee upon the present, and see what things are worthy of being written for the time to come.

For thou art even now making history, and thy deeds of today shall be the scripture of tomorrow; see then that thou walkest circumspectly.

Let thy life be a book of good works, written with the ink of charity and the pen of righteousness, that those who read it may glorify the truth.

Be not weary in this well-doing, though the labor be great and the parchment be costly, for the reward thereof is life eternal.

The kings of the earth leave behind them pyramids of stone and pillars of brass, yet these crumble into dust and their names are forgotten.

But he that writeth the history of his soul in truth, and careth for the heritage of his people, buildeth a house that shall never be shaken.

His name shall be had in remembrance from generation to generation, and his memorial shall not depart out of the earth.

Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down, and confirm the feeble knees of the aged that are in thy midst.

Go in unto them with reverence, sit by their side, and say unto them: Speak, for thy servant heareth, and I will write thy words in a book.

Let them pour out their heart, let them tell of the old times, and let nothing be lost of all that they have seen and known.

And when they have finished their course, and are gathered unto their people, thou shalt close their eyes with a blessing and weep over them with honor.

Then shalt thou turn unto thy book, and thou shalt read their story to thy children, that their spirit may live on in the hearts of the living.

Thus shall the generations be knit together in a bond of holy love, and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the past.

For the history of man is the unfolding of a great purpose, a sacred drama enacted upon the stage of time, whereof we are all witnesses.

Let the scribe perform his office with diligence, let the keeper of records be faithful to his trust, and let no lie find place in the sacred text.

For truth is great and shall prevail; it endureth from generation to generation, and its light can never be extinguished.

Blessed is the man that honoreth the elderly, and blessed is he that keepeth the records of his people, for he shall be called a repairer of the breach.

He shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither.

But he that neglecteth the aged, and suffereth the past to die in his hands, shall be as the chaff which the wind driveth away.

His memory shall perish from the earth, and his name shall be written in the dust, because he had no regard for the rock whence he was hewn.

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land: Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation, that the sacred text of time may grow.

For the years speak, and the centuries declare the wisdom of the world; let the living lay it to heart.

Let the care of the elderly be thy daily meditation, and the recording of history thy sacred employment, all the days of thy pilgrimage.

So shalt thou walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous, and thy days shall be long in the land.

When thou art old and grey-headed, others shall rise up to honor thee, and thy words shall be written down by those who follow after.

Thou shalt look back upon thy life with joy, knowing that thou hast been a faithful steward of the mysteries of time.

And thy history shall take its place in the great library of the ages, a shining testimony to the dignity of the human soul.

Let the words of this law be bound upon thy fingers, and write them upon the table of thine heart, that thou mayest never forget them.

For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

Thus let it be written, and thus let it be performed, throughout all thy dwellings and across all thy borders, from this time forth and forevermore.

The old world passeth away, and a new world cometh, but the written word remaineth, an unchanging witness in a world of change.

Therefore, seal not up the sayings of this book, but let it be open to all the people, that they may read and understand.

Let the philosopher find wisdom therein, and let the simple man find a guide for his path, for truth is a universal inheritance.

Stand in the old paths, see and ask for the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

And let the memory of the elders be as a sweet savor in thy nostrils, and their written lives as a shield against the errors of the present.

So shall thy nation grow strong in righteousness, and thy borders shall be enlarged with peace, because thou hast honored the past.

Great is the honor of him that serveth the aged, and deep is the peace of him that recordeth the walk of his people.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the permanence of the truth he hath preserved.

His work shall endure when empires are dissolved, and his parchment shall speak when the tongues of the mighty are put to silence.

For the history of a life well lived, and a nation well recorded, is a sacred text that time itself cannot destroy.

It shall be handed down as a precious heirloom, a light to guide the feet of the wanderer, and a comfort to the heavy heart.

Let the young man write, let the old man speak, and let the whole congregation join together to preserve the holy heritage.

So shall the spirit of thy fathers rest upon thee, and the wisdom of the ages shall be thy companion in the way.

Incline thine ear once more, O son of man, and let these sayings sink deep into thy heart, for they are the words of truth and soberness.

Honor the old, record the past, write thine own walk, and preserve the story of thy people, for this is the whole duty of man in the kingdom of time.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left from this commandment, but walk in it all the days of thy life, that it may be well with thee.

And let the peace of an accomplished duty rest upon thy soul, and upon thy house, and upon all that thou hast, now and through all the ages to come.

Amen, and Amen; let the scroll be closed, but let the memory live forever in the minds of men.