Will All of The

REAL pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

 -5-

Sadly for some, their image of The Lord has been coloured by everything except Scripture. You are not alone. I’ve been there. When I was a child, I said my bedtime prayers with my older brother, reciting the words of one of Charles Wesley’s great hymns before we went to bed. ‘Gentle Jesus, meek & mild, Look upon a little child. Pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to Thee. Fain I would to Thee be brought, Dearest God, forbid it not; Give me, dearest God, a place in the kingdom of Thy grace. Lamb of God, I look to Thee. Thou shalt my Example be. Thou art gentle, meek, & mild; Thou wast once a little child.’ Perhaps a look at Jesus in Revelation 1 would have inspired Wesley differently. The High Anglican Church that we attended as children was decked out with the usual depictions of a very white baby Jesus in His mother’s arms, always with a precocious & knowing countenance, blonde locks & a peculiar positioning of His fingers, almost as if He were mimicking the holding of a gun. Then there was the obligatory crucifix, with the figure of Jesus, nails & all, firmly fixed to it & looking more as if He were taking a nap than taking away the sins of the world. Whoever had the task of painting the little wound onto the side of each Iggy Pop lookalike model as it rolled off the production line, must have been onto a very cushy little number. I also remember thumbing through Church publications in my childhood & even after I had received Christ as a teenager, the instantly recognisable portrayal of Jesus, complete with beautifully perfect teeth, conditioned hair & the slight smile of a lottery winner, was always at the forefront of my thinking. There He was, in successive pictures, with a wardrobe more extensive than a popular action figure, effortlessly carrying a perfectly well behaved lamb in one hand & a conveniently crafted crosier in the other. He looked just like Robert Powell. The Good handsome, evenly featured, smartly dressed, softly spoken Shepherd. Even the occasional painting of Christ driving those who bought & sold out of the Temple, make Him look as if He was perfectly composed whilst casually strolling through God’s House, naughtily rearranging the furniture as part of an elaborate practical joke, with whip of chords poised for the cracking, like an expert animal trainer. All of this with not a single hair out of place. He didn’t even break into a sweat. 

Although we assert our belief that The Lord Jesus Christ is co-equal, co-eternal & integral to the Godhead, Saviour of the world & soon coming King, we sometimes have a place in the back of our minds where He is gentle Jesus, meek & mild. He is infinitely more than that; He is Lord of all & He is The Head of The Church. The image of Christ foisted upon our collective public & religious consciousness for centuries, is poles apart from the biblical vision of Him in prophecy, in ministry & in resplendent, resurrected glory. If His life & ministry are to be a model for ours, then our picture of His life & ministry have to be accurately portrayed & represented. This is only done by Scripture (Ephesians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:14-20, Philippians 2:9-11). 

There are no man-made pieces of art, nor any literary works that can adequately portray Jesus Christ in His life, death, burial or resurrection. Neither are there any mechanisms of human government that will ever come close to, or rival His preeminence in all things. To gain a true picture of Jesus The Christ, we must rely on the Scriptures & in our reliance on them, we will develop our reliance on Him. In our Saviour, we have been given a supreme masterclass & as we look closely at His example we learn so very much about so very much. 

In His preeminence before, over & above all things, The Lord Jesus Christ takes His position as the undisputed Head of The Church. Certain ministries & gifts are set within The Church (Ephesians 4:11-12, 1^st Corinthians 12:27-28), but every single one these representative offices of service belong to Him. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11&14). He is the Shepherd & Bishop of our souls (1^st Peter 2:25). He is the Chief Shepherd (1^st Peter 5:4). He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20). In this, Christ is typified throughout the Scriptures. A man may be called to be a Shepherd over a congregation, but ultimately The Lord Jesus Christ is the Senior Pastor. 

It ought to follow then, that men who claim to have been called into service as Shepherds, would take The Lord as their example. Sadly, this has not always been the case. There are men  in parts of The Church today who have the position & title of Pastor, Bishop, Elder or Overseer, but they do not have the heart. They are not Shepherds. They are more akin to rustlers. Jesus Christ is not their example. They are not moved with compassion. In this, they have taken the honour of a worthy place of service & made it completely contemptable. 

They have no care for the flock of God whatsoever, but happily line their pockets at the expense of those who believe in & follow them. 

These imposters wouldn’t dream of laying their lives down for the sheep. Instead, these wolves encourage the sheep to lay their lives down. I am a sheep & I write as one who has had a sheep’seye view of The Church almost four decades. As such, as one who wandered from my Shepherd & the flock in frustration, rebellion & disobedience, my own heart has cried out for true Shepherds & real Pastors. 

The Lord rebuked the Shepherds of Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel. It strikes me, that if The Lord was a wee bit ticked off at these men for not fulfilling their duty of care towards the sheep, it’s precisely because they should have been doing these things, but had failed. It also strikes me that they didn’t neglect to reap the benefits & rewards associated with their roles, even though they had done none of the work. These men eat of the milk but do not feed the flock of God. 

The Apostle Peter, who was personally instructed by The Lord Jesus Christ to feed His sheep (John 21:15-17), said to his fellow elders, ‘The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.’ (1^st Peter 5:1-5). 

Paul warned the elders of The Church at Ephesus, ‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:28-29). This is not a joke. This is gravely serious, because Jesus Christ, The Head of The Church, has mandated a duty of care towards His flock & just as Ezekiel, who was called the son of man, was instructed to prophesy against the Shepherds of Israel, so also The Son of Man prophesied against them during His earthly ministry (Matthew 23:33-35). 

Throughout the Scriptures we can see The Lord Jesus Christ typified as our Shepherd by other men who were chosen in Pastoral ministry. When we looked at the lives of Abel, Joseph, Moses & David, we clearly saw the characteristics of our Saviour, not only as Messiah, but also as our Pastor. I believe that this is well worth studying. The Lord is our Shepherd. 

Jesus cites the blood of Abel, the first Shepherd recorded in Scripture, calling him righteous, as does the writer to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:4). Abel paid for his righteousness with his life at the hands of his brother Cain, who is referred to as being ‘..of that wicked one..’ (1^st John 3:12&15). The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ the righteous (1^st John 2:1-2), also paid for His righteousness with His life at the hands of His brethren, those whom He said were of their father the devil (John 8:39-44). That wicked one, who was a murderer from the beginning. God respected Abel & his offering (Genesis 4:4). God was also well pleased with His son Jesus Christ & His offering of himself (Ephesians 5:2). The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? (Luke4:16-22). 

It seems almost fortuitous or coincidental, that Joseph was the name of Jesus’ earthly father & yet it’s also quite handy, because the title The Son of Joseph is also a Messianic designation. Furthermore, the Patriarch Joseph, who was also a Shepherd, typified Christ in His pastoral role. 

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him (Genesis 37:2-4). 

Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ was beloved of The Father, a Shepherd along with others among His brethren. However, unlike those who were charged with a duty of care for the flock of God, Jesus was the Shepherd spoken of throughout the Scriptures they revered, but His contemporaries refused to submit to Him. He too was hated by them because The Father gave Him an unmissable & undeniable mantle of significance, a proverbial coat of many colours. The Lord Jesus Christ wore His God given power unreservedly, unashamedly & unapologetically, ‘..for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.’ (Matthew 7:28-29). The real deal always stands out from the fakes. Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ was moved with compassion despite the opposition & hatred He faced, because His concern was the salvation & welfare of the flock. 

Joseph’s pastoral care brought salvation to Egypt. The death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ, The Good Shepherd, brings salvation to the world. Like Joseph, who was sent by God to go before his brethren (Genesis 45:5), The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has gone before us, having secured our salvation (Hebrews 6:20). Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ could have brought an evil report against the pseudo-Pastors of His day, but instead of doing this He simply left them with a stinging castigation. Like Joseph’s brethren, they sought to kill Him. Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.’ (John 5:45). 

Before leading Israel out of bondage in Egypt, Moses had been a Shepherd in Midian, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 3:1). He was a meek man (Numbers12:3), beloved of God, tasked with an awesome responsibility to which he was obedient & faithful (Numbers12:7). He typified Christ as our Shepherd. Jesus said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). 

Moses continually interceded between God & His people Israel, falling on his face & pleading with The Lord, Who heard Moses’ cries & often withheld His awesome judgements. Even so, because The Father loves The Son, He hears the intercession of Christ our Shepherd on our behalf (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25). 

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (Hebrews 3:1-6). 

Jesus Christ our Saviour & Shepherd has led us out of the bondages of sin into His salvation. He intercedes for us before God, allowing us to obtain mercy & grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). He does this for us just as Moses did who once led & fed Israel. The Chief Shepherd leads us to the promised land. 

As I write these closing paragraphs I would encourage you to go back to The Gospels & read them again. Time & my limited knowledge do not permit me to go into any great detail here, but as I have looked again at my Saviour, the undefeated, undisputed, unequalled, preeminent Head of The Church, I catch a glimpse of true Pastoral ministry. The Lord is our Shepherd. David the Bethlehemite boy became King of Israel & a Messianic figure, but he also typifies Christ as our Shepherd. He is the humble servant who is also the conquering king. 

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd (Ezekiel 34:23-24). 

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God (Ezekiel 34:31). 

Even after David was crowned King, he returned to tending his father’s sheep. He experienced & dispensed mercy. He was a servant & he never, ever forgot that. Even so, our Chief Shepherd humbled Himself & took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8). Christ Jesus clearly demonstrates the tender, lovingkindness of a Shepherd, as well as the firm-handedness of a leader. He possesses the wisdom & majesty of a king & yet He patiently comes to us, teaches us, corrects us, disciplines us & lovingly forgives us. What a great Saviour. What a Pastor. 

For any man who claims a calling to pastoral ministry, I only have one request. Don’t abuse your position. As a lamb, I have recognised the need for Shepherds who take Jesus Christ as their example & standard. I write these words almost begging you, please. Congregations are crying out for real men of God who will reflect Christ, lead, teach & protect God’s heritage, His people. 

Will you do this on behalf of The Chief Shepherd until He appears? Will you take the masterclass given by The Lord Jesus Christ Himself & feed the flock of God for no other reason than this; He has called you to do it. 

I ask these questions & say these things as a sheep. However, there are those out there who are thieves & robbers. They are wolves. They are liars & perverters of the truth who are leading the sheep into a ditch, instead of into green pasture. Not sparing the flock. May God in His mercy gather them up & deposit them into the care of genuine Shepherds. So with that said; will all of the real Pastors PLEASE stand up.

 

 

 

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

Will All of The

REAL pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

 -4-

 

I have often been guilty of declaring that I believe The Church at large is in trouble & also of leaving that statement hanging in the air, much like a cricket ball spinning in slow motion towards a plate glass window. At a time when there are, undoubtedly, clowns to the left of us & jokers to the right, here we are & we ought to be grateful to be stuck in the middle, in Him. There has never been a time at which God has been without a people. Neither has there ever been a time when His people have ever been without leadership. That leadership has never been without mandate & said mandate should be trusted because it’s handed down by He Who works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:11). With the passing of Moses, Israel came under the leadership of Joshua. When Joshua died, Israel came under the leadership of the Judges. When we arrive at the end of the book of Judges, we may be tempted to say, as I have often said of The Church at large, Israel is in trouble because we’re told that ‘In those days there was no King in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (Judges 21:25). Cue the slowly spinning cricket ball & cut to the plate glass window. However, God always has a plan A. Once we come to the book of 1^st Samuel it is here that we see The Lord orchestrate the promotion of a man who would become the new Shepherd for His people Israel. It’s no accident that after Judges we have the book of Ruth & as we hop, skip & jump through it, we see the providential lineage of our Messiah & the man whose throne He will inherit. That man was David. 

At this point I would heartily recommend that you take some time to read the first fifteen chapters of 1^st Samuel as background before going any further. It shouldn’t take you too long, unless you’re reading from the King James Version, in which case you might have to spray your tongue with Mr. Sheen in order to slip through it quickly. I’m joking, please do not spray your tongue with Mr. Sheen or any other type of wax-based, household cleaning product. It will not end well! 

The book of 1^stSamuel opens with the story of the miraculous conception of the Prophet of God after which the book is named & his dedication to the service of The Lord by his mother Hannah, who had been barren. She petitions The Lord with her tears, pouring her heart out, asking Him to give her a son. (1^st Samuel 1:11). I love it when The Lord does stuff, because He’s The Lord & He can do stuff like this. True to form, God opens Hannah’s womb & she conceives a child. When the child is born, it is a son & she names him Samuel because he was asked for. As soon as the boy is weaned, he is taken to Eli the priest, by Hannah’s husband. 

Eli had two tearaway sons that he either could not or would not control; they were Hophni & Phinehas. These boys would steal from the offerings that were brought to be offered before The Lord & they would also sleep with the women. This was a known fact to all & sundry, yet their behaviour went unchecked by their father. Such was the state of the ministry then at that time & so it remains today. Some of our ministers operate with an unbridled impunity & a diminished fear of God. Everyone can see what’s going on, everyone talks about it, everyone knows. However, nothing is done. Not by man at least. 

Samuel flourished. He learned the ropes. He ministered before The Lord in his little Linen Ephod, he wore the little coat that his mother brought for him every year when she came with her offering & he grew in favour with The Lord & with men. Samuel was God’s man, in the midst of everything that was happening, despite the nepotism, blatant immorality & endemic dishonesty. He was exactly where God wanted him, doing exactly what God wanted him to do. The Lord had plans for Eli’s sons & sent a man to tell their father the bad news. I dread to think what went through Eli’s mind as he listened to those terrible words of prophecy which included the deaths of his boys on the same day (1^st Samuel 2:27-36 & 1^st Samuel 3:11-12). Eventually, Israel asked for a King. 

This may have displeased Samuel, but it came as no surprise to The Lord. He had already said that this would happen when Israel came into the Promised Land & had made provision in his commandments for the time when it did. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The elders of Israel said they wanted a King because Samuel was old & his sons Joel & Abiah didn’t walk in his ways, but this was a very poor excuse. 

Eli was old & his sons were reprobate, yet no one cried out for a King during their tenure. 

Wherever there’s an Eli, God will provide a Samuel & wherever there’s a Saul, He will provide a David. I know that this sounds clichéd & perhaps it is a little, but my point is that The Lord always raises someone up to Shepherd His flock. Samuel grew up and faithfully served The Lord until the time that he was ready to take up his duties as a Judge & Prophet over Israel. Despite the lacklustre performance of Eli & the theft & whoredom of Hophni & Phineas, God prepared Samuel for his calling. Similarly, when Israel asked for a King & rejected The Lord, He didn’t fall to pieces. He continued to execute his plan even though people were slaughtered in battle. God always has a plan A. He sent Samuel to Jesse’s house. 

Of course, Samuel obeys The Lord & goes, prepared to anoint the new King. It is here that a most valuable lesson is to be learned. In Samuel’s experience, Saul had been tall, good looking & gifted, but these qualities mean absolutely nothing. Samuel’s experience in the choosing of Saul may have come to bear on his judgement in this situation, but when The Lord had instructed him to go to Jesse, He had said that He would name Saul’s successor. 

Parts of The Church today are not always be led by men who are led by The Holy Spirit, but it is certainly led by men who are led by other men. Neither is it always led by men who are convicted of a vocation. There are plenty of blokes who are extremely gifted, talented & blessed with attractive attributes. They’re creative, charismatic & imposing, with a delivery that’s as sweet as honey & as smooth as silk. But are they faithful. God views the heart. 

Now we come to the juicy part of our story. The bit that everyone knows & remembers. It is the stock-in-trade of any Sunday school teacher worth their salt. The tale of David & Goliath. I have to confess that until I began writing this series of articles, I hadn’t paid close enough attention to the fetes or fates of the men God had called to serve as Shepherds among His flock. To my shame, I had paid the least attention to David because this tale is probably the best known Bible story there is & yet it is the least known in its significance. 

It appears that one of the servants of Saul had somehow come to witness David’s exploits & gifts. He gives David a glowing reference before the King, saying, ‘I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite’ (1^st Samuel 16:18). However, in none of these matters had David become lifted up. He faithfully tended his father’s flock & we will come to see that whatever he had done to earn his reputation, had been done for the sake of the flock, not for himself. Happy & humble servitude is such a rarity. 

After Samuel had anointed him the new King of Israel, David went back to keeping his father’s sheep & evidently remained there until he was sent for by the King. He did what Saul had failed to do. He remained small in his own eyes. David did not exalt himself, despite his gifts, talents & anointing. Here is a man who was happy in his place of service, doing whatever needed to be done for the flock, by whatever means necessary. Being a Shepherd was hot, hard & dirty work but David did it. Shepherds were often shunned & looked down upon & yet a faithful one is worth his weight in Gold. When was the last time you met a Pastor like that? Brethren, men like this are in our midst & The Lord will set them to serve & to Shepherd His sheep. Cue Goliath. 

At this point in the story, using my over-active & extremely vivid imagination, I would skip to the blood & guts in slow motion, as David delivers his Oscar nominated monologue & despatches Goliath with a single, well placed stone, launched from his trusty sling. He then runs, summersaults through the air, lands perfectly in a manner worthy of a gymnast, unsheathes the giant’s sword & removes his head, all in one fluid movement. Go David!! However, having read the narrative again more carefully & prayerfully, I see that I’ve missed an entire seam of truth, even though I have been reading it for many, many years. 

David is chosen above all of his brothers & is anointed King, yet he returns to his flock. David’s reputation precedes him & Saul sends for him, making him his personal musician & also his armour bearer. When battle threatened, David’s three eldest brothers went with Saul, but once again David returned to his flock. He never forgets his duty to the sheep, nor his place of service, even though he knew what was going on at the front. 

Some Pastor’s cannot wait to get away from their congregations, whereas other Pastors cannot wait to return to them. David loved his flock. 

Jesse sends his youngest boy back to the battle with supplies for his three eldest sons & their Captain. David leaves his flock with a keeper & goes, shouting for the battle. At this point, Goliath appears & re-issues his challenge to Israel. David hears every word the man says & it is here that his calling becomes evident. It is here that we can see the heart of a man who transitions from being a faithful keeper of his father’s flock, to the defender & protector of the flock of God. 

David’s touch-paper was now well & truly lit. He was not interested in anything other than the glory of God, the removal of Israel’s embarrassment & the restoration of her dignity. Eliab, David’s eldest brother & the first to have been rejected by God, rebukes his sibling for his boldness, even though his charge of conceit & pride were groundless. What did his youngest brother have to be conceited or proud about? Could it be that Eliab was jealous? He was the eldest & yet The Lord had overlooked him. Indeed, the elder shall serve the younger & the first shall be last. 

David had remained a humble & faithful servant despite his calling & anointing, but now his hot pursuit of the heart of God spurred him on. He had left his sheep in the wilderness in order to Shepherd tend to another, greater flock & no one realised it. Is there not a cause? Saul summons him to his tent & David states quite clearly that he is willing to kill the man. Point blank. No frills. When Saul objects, he demonstrates a side of pastoral ministry that I had hitherto not seen. Whether it was the flock at home, or here on the battlefield, David was still tending his father’s sheep. He never, ever stopped being a Shepherd. 

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (1^st Samuel 17:34-36). 

I am very sorry to say that it is my observation that there are times when The Church doesn’t need a Goliath arrayed against it, because its own ministers are its biggest enemy. 

This battle was no different to David going out against the Lion or the Bear. Goliath was as much an animal as they were. David faithfully tended his father’s sheep & dealt with the predators that came to steal, kill & destroy. He was simply doing what any Shepherd would do & that is the reason he returned home to Bethlehem to his father’s sheep time after time. As a matter of fact, I believe that he would have returned to his beloved sheep once again after killing Goliath, had Saul not prevented him from going home (1^st Samuel 18:2). King or not, anointed by Samuel or not, David saw that this was a Pastor’s duty. Protect the flock of God. The good Shepherd lays his life on the line, for the sheep. Saul should have stepped up, but in his weakness he hid. I have known leaders like this. 

David’s humility blinded him to any delusions of grandeur, which is why his brother’s comments didn’t ruffle his feathers. He didn’t care about the money. He didn’t care about the fame. He didn’t care about getting the girl. A Shepherd cares that Gid is honoured. He cares for the sheep. His staff, bag & sling were the only tools he needed for the job because Israel were the flock that needed to be rescued from the big mouth of the Philistine. I would contend that if David had been twenty-five stone with one eye & a limp, he would have said & done exactly the same things. This was something that he was doing for the God he loved & the people he loved. This is what a true Pastor does. 

David was humble. David was a servant. David was tender-hearted. David was compassionate. When he sinned he repented quickly. When he wrote the 23^rd Psalm, I believe that it was a testimony not only to the faithfulness of God, but also to the fact that The Lord had treated him as he had treated his father’s flock & the flock of God. Dear God, may we have Shepherds like this.

 

 

 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser