The writings of a good man, when read with an unbiased mind, and with a sincere desire to be profited and instructed, are always beneficial to those who read them; for “of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” and “a good man, out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things.”

Such writings may be the means of doing much good among men, especially in these times of worldly conformity, in which there is such a great opposition to the cross of Christ; in which men love ease and pleasure, and who make many devices to avoid those self denying principles of the religion of Jesus, and hope to gain the crown of life in some other way than that in which he himself walked, and pointed out to all his true followers; in which mankind are so much given over to the pursuit of the perishable things of this world, to honor, wealth and power, and are so deeply sunk in sin and unrighteousness; in which error and deception are so prevalent that on every side we hear the cry, “Lo, here is Christ,” and “Lo, he is there,” so that sometimes it seems almost impossible for those who are not firmly established in the faith to maintain themselves unmoved, and remain unshaken in the midst of this “crooked and perverse generation.”

We believe that these works of the zealous and pious Menno, in which he protests so powerfully against the prevailing corruptions of the times, both in the church and in the ordinary walks of life; in high and in low places, or wherever found, and advocates with such uncompromising firmness and devotion, the imperative necessity of a true and sincere change of heart through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, a new life, a pious and holy walk, which delights in good works, follows the footsteps of Jesus in love, humility, and meekness; is a light in the world, and labors for the glory of God and the salvation of all men, are well adapted to promote vital, Christian piety, to strengthen and confirm the faith of believers, to encourage and cheer the weary pilgrim on his journey Zionward; to instruct and teach us clearer views of duty; to set before us the true character of the truly penitent child of God, what he must do and how he must live to become an heir of the kingdom above; to show what the church, and what all believers should be; to warn the impenitent; to expose erroneous views; to teach sinners the way of life, and admonish them to turn from their evil ways, to flee from the wrath to come, and seek the Lord while he may be found; and thus believing, we have felt that these writings should be placed before the public in English, so that all who understand this language may have the opportunity to read and examine them for themselves.

These works were originally written in the Dutch language, only a portion of which have been previously translated into the English and German languages.  Hence the greater portion of the book will be entirely new to most of the readers of the present day.  And inasmuch as the church, bearing the name of Menno, has now so extended itself that it has become a body of considerable importance, and many of the members are much better versed in the English language than in the German, it is meet that the complete works should be published in the English language, so that those professing the same faith with Menno, may enjoy the benefit of his labors even at this distant day.

For the foregoing reasons we have undertaken the arduous and laborious task of translating from the original Holland or Dutch language the entire work, including all his writings, as far as known, with the exception of such of them as he himself rejects and of which he makes mention in his article on the Ban or Excommunication.

In the translation, we have followed the edition of his works, published in the Dutch language by John Van Veen, in Amsterdam, in Holland, in 1681.

The first part of the writings of Menno Simon, with the exception of the “Account of the severe persecutions of Menno Simon,” &c., and several letters in the latter part of the volume, were formerly translated into the German language and published in several editions; and from the German translation, they were again translated into the English language, by I. Daniel Rupp, and published by Elijah Barr & Co., in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1863.  This translation has been followed in part in the present work, though the whole of it was diligently compared with the original Dutch language, revised and corrected.

The work has required a great deal of time, care, labor and expense.  The original work being written in very old style language, on which account many passages were difficult to be understood, but the translators have worked faithfully, and by comparing such passages with different editions of the work, and using such other means as they could command, we feel assured that we can offer to our readers a reasonably correct translation of the works of Menno.

We have found a few places where neither the English nor the German editions formerly published were entirely correct, and this will account for some differences which the reader may observe by comparing the different translations, and there may still, possibly, be some passages which could be greatly improved, but without boasting of anything that we have, humbly, in the fear of the Lord, sought to accomplish, we believe that as the result of our labor, we are enabled to present to the reader, a book which gives a very correct expression of the writings of Menno in the English language.

And if by the publication of this work we may be instrumental in doing good to the souls of others; if thereby the cause of Christ shall be advanced and the faith of believers confirmed; if thereby a single soul may be saved, and God glorified, then we shall feel that our labor has not been in vain.

May God bless the work; may it be the means of doing much good; yes, through it, may many souls be converted, and brought from the darkness of sin and error to the glorious light of the Gospel of Truth.  May God be glorified and honored and mankind humbled and brought to Jesus.  This is the prayer and sincere desire of your humble servants,

The Publishers

═════════════════

WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY AND PLAINLY NARRATED HOW, AND FOR WHAT CAUSE, HE RENOUNCED POPERY;

ALSO, HIS SUBSEQUENT CALLING TO THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF,

AND ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE DUTCH LANGUAGE

A.D. 1554.

BELOVED READER, We are falsely accused, by our opponents, of following the teachings of Munster, concerning the king, the sword, rebellion, retaliation, polygamy and other abominations.  But my kind readers, know that I have never in my life accepted any of the foregoing doctrines; but on the contrary, I have opposed them for more than seventeen years, and to the best of my abilities, have warned all mankind against this abominable error.  I have also, through the word of God, led some on the right way.  Never in my life have I seen Munster, nor have I been in the communion of that sect.  I also hope, through God’s grace, neither to eat nor drink with such (if such there are), as the scripture teaches me; unless they confess their error with all their heart, bring forth fruits appropriate for repentance, and follow the Gospel in the right manner.

MENNO SIMON.

═════════════════

OF THE

CHURCH OF ROME.

MY READER,

I write to you the truth in Christ, and do not lie.  In the year 1524, being then in my twenty-eighth year, I undertook the duties of a priest in my father’s village, called Pingjum, in Friesland.  Two other persons of about my age also officiated in the same station.  The one was my pastor, and was well learned in part; the other succeeded me; both had read the scriptures partially; but I had not touched them during my life, for I feared if I should read them, they would mislead me.  Behold!  Such a stupid preacher was I, for nearly two years.

In the first year thereafter a thought occurred to me, as often as I handled the bread and wine in the mass that they were not the flesh and blood of the Lord.  I thought that it was the suggestion of the devil, that he might lead me off from my faith.  I confessed it, and often sighed and prayed, yet I could not be freed from this thought.

Those two aforementioned young men and myself spent our time daily in playing, drinking, and all manner of frivolous diversions, alas! as it is the fashion and way of such useless people; and when we were to treat a little of scripture, I could not speak a word with them without being scoffed at; for I did not know what I asserted.  Thus was the word of God concealed to my understanding.

At length I resolved that I would examine the New Testament attentively.  I had not proceeded far in it, ere I discovered that we were deceived.  My conscience, which was troubled on account of the sacramental bread, aforementioned, was soon greatly relieved, without any human aid or advice; though I was encouraged by Luther in the belief that human authority cannot bind to eternal death.

Through the illumination and grace of the Lord, I continued daily to examine the scriptures, and was soon considered by some, though undeservedly, as being an evangelical preacher.  Every one sought my company, the world loved me and had my affections, yet it was said that I preached the word of God, and was a fine man.

Afterwards it happened, before I had ever heard of the existence of brethren, that a God-fearing, pious man, named Sicke Snyder, was beheaded at Leeuwarden, for being rebaptized.  It sounded strange to me, to hear a second baptism spoken of.  I examined the scriptures assiduously and meditated on them earnestly, but could find nothing in them concerning infant baptism.  After I had discovered this, I conversed with my pastor on the subject; and after much discussion, he had to admit that there was no scriptural foundation for infant baptism.  Notwithstanding all this, I dared not trust my own understanding, but consulted several ancient authors.  They taught me that children were to be washed by baptism from their original sin.  I compared this doctrine with the scriptures and found that it made baptism take the place of the blood of Christ.

Afterwards, desiring to know the grounds for infant baptism, I went and consulted Luther.  He taught me that children were to be baptized on account of their own faith.  I perceived that this also was not in accordance with the word of God.

Next I consulted Bucer.  He taught that infants were to be baptized, that their baptism would cause those who had their training, to be more careful in bringing them up in the way of the Lord.  I perceived that this doctrine, too, was without foundation.

I then consulted Bullinger.  He directed me to the covenant and circumcision.  This I found incapable of being substantiated by scripture.

Having thus observed that authors varied greatly among themselves, each following his own opinion, I became convinced that we were deceived in relation to infant baptism.

Shortly after, I went to the village in which I was born, called Witmarsum.  Covetousness and a desire to obtain a great name, were the inducements which led me to that place.  There I spoke much concerning the word of the Lord, without spirituality or love, as all hypocrites do, and by this means I made disciples of my own stamp, such as vain boasters and light-minded babblers, who, alas! like myself, cared but little about these matters.  Although I had now acquired considerable knowledge of the scriptures, yet I wasted that knowledge through the lusts of my youth in an impure, sensual, unprofitable life, without any fruit, and sought nothing but gain, ease, favor of men, splendor, reputation and honor, as all generally do who embark in the same ship.

Thus, my reader, I obtained a knowledge of baptism and the Lord’s supper through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, through much reading of the scriptures, and meditating upon them, and through the gracious favor and gift of God, but not by means of the service of misleading sects, as it is reported of me: I hope that I write the truth and do not seek vain glory; though some, doubtless, may have contributed to my assistance in the pursuit of truth, yet will I, for this, render thanks to the Lord forever.

Meanwhile it happened, when I had resided there about a year, that quite a number broke in upon baptism; but whence the first beginners came, or where they resided, or who they properly were, is to this hour unknown to me, neither have I ever seen them.

Afterwards the sect of Munster made inroads, by whom many pious hearts in our quarter were led into error.  My soul was much troubled, for I perceived that though they were zealous, they erred in doctrine.  I exerted my feeble efforts, as far as I was able, in opposing them by preaching and exhortations.  I conferred twice with one of their leaders, once in private, and again in public; but my admonitions availed nothing, because I did that myself which I well knew was not right.

The report spread far abroad that I could readily silence these persons.  All looked to me.  I saw that I was the leader and defender of the impenitent, who all depended upon me.  This pained my heart; I sighed and prayed, Lord help me, lest I make myself a partaker of other men’s sins.  My soul was troubled and I reflected upon the result of my doings, namely that if I should gain the whole world, and live a thousand years, and at last have to endure the wrath of God, what would I have gained?

Afterwards, the poor straying flock, who wandered as sheep without a shepherd, after many severe edicts and slaughters, assembled near my place of residence, called Oude Klooster, and, alas!  Through the ungodly doctrines of Munster, and in opposition to the Spirit, the word and the example of Christ, drew the sword to defend themselves, which the Lord commanded Peter to put up in the sheath.

After this had transpired, the blood of the slain, although it was shed in error, grieved me so sorely that I could not endure it.  I could find no rest in my soul.  I reflected upon my carnal, sinful life, my hypocritical doctrine and idolatry, in which I continued daily under the appearance of godliness.  I saw that these zealous children willingly gave their lives and their estates, though they were in error, for their doctrine and faith.  And I was one of those who had discovered some of their abominations, and yet I myself remained satisfied with my unrestrained life and known defilements.  I wished only to live comfortably and without the cross of Christ.

Thus reflecting upon these things my soul was so grieved that I could no longer endure it.  I thought to myself, I, a miserable man, what shall I do?  If I continue in this way, and do not live agreeably to the word of the Lord, according to the knowledge of the truth which I have obtained; if I do not rebuke to the best of my limited ability the hypocrisy, the impenitent, carnal life, the perverted baptism, the Lord’s supper and the false worship of God, which the learned teach; if I, through bodily fear, do not show them the true foundation of the truth, neither use all my powers to direct the wandering flock, who would gladly do their duty if they knew it, to the true pastures of Christ—Oh, how shall their shed blood, though shed in error, rise against me at the judgment of the Almighty, and pronounce sentence against my poor, miserable soul.

My heart trembled in my body.  I prayed to God with sighs and tears that he would give to me, a troubled sinner, the gift of his grace, and create a clean heart within me; that through the merits of the crimson blood of Christ, He would graciously forgive my unclean walk and unprofitable life, and bestow upon me, wisdom, Spirit, candor and fortitude, that I might preach his exalted and adorable name and holy word unperverted, and make manifest his truth to his praise.

I began in the name of the Lord to preach publicly, from the pulpit, the word of true repentance; to direct the people into the narrow path, and through the power of the scripture to reprove all sin and ungodliness, all idolatry and false worship, and to present the true worship, also baptism and the Lord’s Supper, according to the doctrine of Christ, to the extent that I had at that time received grace from God.

I also faithfully warned every one in relation to the abominations of Munster, concerning kings, polygamy, dominion, the sword, &c., until after the expiration of about nine months, when the gracious Lord granted me his fatherly Spirit, aid and power; then I voluntarily renounced all my worldly honor and reputation, my unchristian conduct, masses, infant baptism, and my unprofitable life, and at once willingly submitted to distress and poverty, and the cross of Christ.  In my weakness I feared God; I sought out the pious, and though they were few in number, I found some who were zealous and maintained the truth.  I conversed with the erring, and through the aid and power of God, with his word, reclaimed some from the snares of damnation, and gained them to Christ, while the hardened and rebellious, I commended to the Lord.  Behold, thus, my reader, the God of mercy, through the benign influence of his abounding grace, exerted upon me, in my heart, a miserable sinner, produced in me a new mind, humbled me in his fear, taught me to know myself in part, turned me from the way of death, and graciously called me into the narrow path of life, to the communion of his saints.  To him be praise forever more, Amen.

About one year thereafter, while I was secretly exercising myself in the word of God by reading and writing, it happened that six, seven or eight persons came to me, who were of one heart and one soul with myself, in their faith and life, and as far as man can judge, were unblameable, and according to the testimony of the scriptures, separated from the world and subdued to the cross.  They sincerely abhorred not only the sect of Munster, but the anathemas and abominations of all other worldly sects.  For the sake of those pious souls who were of the same mind and spirit both with them and with me, they with much solicitude kindly requested me, to reflect on the great sufferings and necessity of the poor, oppressed souls (for the hunger was very great and the faithful stewards were very few), and apply to advantage the talents which I had unmeritedly received from the Lord.

When I heard this my heart was greatly troubled.  Trouble and fear were on every side; for on the one hand I was sensible of my limited talents, my great ignorance, my weak nature, the timidity of my flesh, the unbounded wickedness, perversity and tyranny of the world, the powerful sects, the subtlety of different minds, and the heavy cross that would oppress me, should I comply with their solicitations, and on the other hand, the miserable, starving condition and necessity of these God-fearing, pious children, for I saw plainly that they erred as innocent sheep which have no shepherd.

At last, after much prayer, I placed myself and these circumstances before the Lord and his church, in order that we might pray earnestly to the Lord for a season; should it accord with his acceptable and holy will that I could or might labor to his praise, that he would give me such a mind and heart as would enable me to say with Paul, “Woe is me, if I do not preach the Gospel,” and if not, that he might provide a way to prohibit the same, for Christ says, “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father which is in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” Matt. 18:19, 20.

Thus, my reader, behold, I was not called to serve among the followers of Munster, nor of any other seditious sect (as it is falsely reported concerning me), but I have been called, unworthily, to this office by a people who were ready to receive Christ and his word, led a penitent life in the fear of God, served their neighbors in love, bore the cross, sought the welfare and salvation of all men, loved righteousness and truth, and abhorred wickedness and unrighteousness, which shows pointedly that they were not such perverted persons as they are slanderously reported to have been.  But they were true Christians, though unknown to the world, if in anywise we believe that Christ’s word is true, and his unblameable, holy life and example infallible.

Thus have I, a miserable sinner, been enlightened by the Lord, converted to a new mind, fled from Babel, entered into Jerusalem, and finally, though unworthily, called to this high and arduous service.

When the persons before mentioned did not desist from their supplications, and my own conscience in some degree made me uneasy (although in weakness), because I saw the great hunger and need, already referred to, I surrendered myself, soul and body, to the Lord and committed myself to his grace, and commenced in due time, according to the contents of his holy word, to teach, and to baptize, to labor in the vineyard of the Lord with my limited talents, to build up his holy city and temple, and to repair the dilapidated walls.  The great and mighty God has made known and revealed the word of true repentance, the word of his grace and power, together with the salutary use of his holy sacraments, through our humble service, doctrine and unlearned writings, together with the careful service, labor and help of our faithful brethren, in many towns and countries, to such an extent, and made the condition of his churches so glorious and bestowed upon them such a subduing power that many exalted and proud hearts not only became humble; the unclean, pure; the drunken, sober; the avaricious, benevolent; the ferocious, mild, and the ungodly, pious; but they also faithfully yielded their possessions and blood, bodies and lives, for the blessed testimony they had, as may yet daily be seen.  These are not the fruits and evidences of false doctrines, in which God is not a coworker.  Neither could they endure so long under such grievous misery and oppressive crosses, were it not the power and word of the Almighty which sustains them.  Yes, more, the Lord endued them with such grace and wisdom, as Christ has promised to all his children in their trials, so that all the worldly-wise and renowned teachers, together with the blood-guilty, daring tyrants, who, O, God, boast that they are Christians, were vanquished and abashed by these invincible champions and pious witnesses of Christ.  Those ferocious persons knew of no other weapons or refuge to which to resort than those of banishing, seizing, punishing, burning, murdering, and destroying, even as has always been the custom of the old serpent, from the beginning, and as may yet, alas! be daily witnessed in many places of our Netherlands.

Behold this is our calling, our doctrine and fruits of our labor; on account of which we are so grievously slandered, and so malevolently persecuted; whether or not all the prophets, apostles, and faithful servants of God, have endured similar sufferings on account of their faithfulness, we willingly leave all the pious to judge.

But as much as regards my poor, weak and imperfect life, I freely confess that I am a poor, wretched sinner, conceived in sin, of sinful seed, and sinfully brought forth.  I can say with David that my sins are ever before me.  My thoughts, words and actions convince me.  I see with holy Paul, “That in me (that it is in my flesh), dwells no good thing,” Rom. 7:18.  Nevertheless, I must be allowed to boast this much in my weakness, if this wicked, desolate world would hear our doctrine (not ours, but the doctrine of Christ), with patience, and, in the true fear of God follow it submissively, this would undoubtedly, be a more Christian-like and better world than, alas, it now is.

I thank God, who has made me willing with holy Paul, to hate the evil and follow the good; and willingly would I with my own blood, reclaim this wicked world from ungodly and evil works, and gain it to Christ.  Through the grace of God, it is my desire to fear the Lord with all my heart; to love, seek and serve him, to do right before him, and be an unblameable pious Christian.

I hope through the mercy and assistance of the Lord that no one upon earth may have reason to accuse me of leading an avaricious and luxurious life.  Money and affluence, I have not; neither do I desire them, although alas, some from a perverted heart, say that I eat more roasted than they do seethed; and drink more wine than they do beer.  My Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, was also called a winebibber and a glutton.  I trust that through the grace of the Lord, I am innocent in this matter, and stand acquitted before God.

He who, purchased me with the blood of his love, and called me, who am unworthy, to his service, knows me, and knows that I seek not wealth, nor possessions, nor luxury, nor ease, but only the praise of the Lord, my salvation, and the salvation of many souls.  For this I, my poor, feeble wife and children have for eighteen years endured extreme anxiety, oppression, affliction, misery and persecution, and at the peril of my life, have been compelled everywhere to live in fear and seclusion; yes, when ministers repose on easy beds and downy pillows, we generally have to hide ourselves in secluded corners; when they at weddings and feasts, pipe and beat the tambour, and vaunt loudly, we must look out, when the dogs bark, lest the captors be at hand.  Whilst they are saluted as doctors, lords and teachers by every one, we have to hear that we are anabaptists, hedge preachers, deceivers and heretics, and must be saluted in the name of the devil.  In short, whilst they are gloriously rewarded for their services with large incomes and easy times, our recompense and portion must be fire, sword and death.

Behold, my faithful readers, in such fear, poverty, misery and danger of death, have I, wretched man, performed to this hour, without change, the service of the Lord, and I hope through his grace to continue in it to his glory, as long as I remain in this earthly tabernacle.  What I and my faithful coworkers have sought or could have sought in performing these our arduous and dangerous duties, is apparent to all the well-disposed, who may readily judge from the works and their fruits.

I will here humbly entreat the reader for Jesus’ sake, to accept in love, this my confession in relation to my illumination, conversion and calling, and to meditate on them.  I have made it out of urgent necessity, for the information of the pious reader, because I was slandered by the clergy, and am accused, without foundation of truth, of being called and ordained to this service by a seditious and heretical sect.  He that fears God, let him read and judge.

MENNO SIMON.

═════════════════

AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE WHERE HE LAST PREACHED THE GOSPEL, DIED AND WAS BURIED.

and

Plain Instruction

of the

Saving Doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ

BRIEFLY COMPILED FROM THE WORD OF GOD.

TOGETHER WITH OTHER INSTRUCTIVE TREATISES.

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 3:11.

TO THE READER.

PIOUS, BELOVED READER, Since I perceive that our work, called “THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE”, which I published a few years ago, has been, through the grace of God, to whom be eternal praise and thanks, productive of much good to some; and God’s holy word which was obscured for such a long time, has been again a little explained, through our limited talents, and as many well disposed children requested and entreated me, diligently to revise and correct such parts as were obscured through the negligence of the printer, and which deprived the reader of the sense, I was prevailed on, and did so.  In some places I made additions; explained the obscure parts, corrected those that were defective, and omitted redundancies; the style and language I improved, in order to be better suited to aid the kind reader, and to make known and acceptable to many, the despised truth.

Not, my reader, that I changed the original doctrines and contents; by no means!  I have not changed, but as appears to me, improved its form, and given it more force and distinctness.  Those who fear God may judge.  The former, as well as this, is God’s word; and all that the first teaches, this teaches also.  May the Almighty, Merciful Father grant that through his grace our little work, so lightly esteemed, may produce much fruit in many thousands.  Amen.

MENNO SIMON.

═════════════════

NOTE. ─ The following Preface shows to whom this book is addressed, and was written at the time when the errors of Munster yet prevailed.

═════════════════

To those in authority and all others, of whatever condition, class or calling they be, Menno Simon wishes the illumination of the Spirit, and the pure knowledge of the kingdom of God, from our heavenly Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has loved us and washed us from our sins with his blood.  To him be praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving forever, Amen.

═════════════════

Dear Sirs, Friends and Brethren, since we learn from the scriptures, and from experience find that the prediction of the prophets, Christ and of the apostles, concerning the terrible oppression, misery, want, persecution, danger, anxiety, and false doctrine in these latter times is being accomplished to its full measure, Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3; 2 Pet. 2; Jude 1, and this so powerfully that unless the merciful Father graciously shortens these days no flesh will be saved.

Therefore, we poor miserable men entreat and admonish every one, and that through the mercy of the Lord, for once candidly to read our doctrine and faith, lay it well to heart and understand it correctly, that you might know what kind of doctrine we inculcate, what kind of faith we maintain, what kind of life we lead, and how we are disposed, on account of which we have to hear and suffer so much, endure imprisonment, exile, be robbed, derided, defamed and slain as poor, innocent sheep.  In order that you may sincerely lament and weep over your former bloody deeds, before God, and with greater circumspection guard and preserve yourselves from such things, and henceforth be found a more pious, sincere, yes, a more God-fearing magistracy, Exo. 18:23; Deu. 1:17; not afflicters and destroyers, but fathers and guardians of all miserable and wretched; not exterminators, but defenders of righteousness; not persecutors but followers of Christ and his word.  Therefore, anoint your eyes with eye-salve that you may see and understand which is the right way, the truth and the life; the way which is so strait and narrow and found by so few; the truth which is known to none, except those who are taught by the Spirit of the Lord, illuminated and drawn by the Father; the life which is to know God the Father as the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent; that you may see him whom you fiercely pierced, and that you may with holy Paul, with your whole hearts, humble yourselves before the Lord with much fasting and weeping; clothe yourselves in sackcloth; rend your hearts and not your garments, that you may find grace in his sight.  For he is long-suffering, gracious and merciful, and pardons the iniquity of all who sincerely repent and seek his grace.  Be no longer like Jeroboam, Ahab and Manasseh, but like David, Hezekiah and Josiah; that you need not on account of the office entrusted to you stand confounded in the great and dreadful day of the Lord, in that day which shall burn as an oven; and all who have dealt unrighteously and used violence upon the earth shall be burnt up as dry straw and stubble, Mal. 4.

Therefore, we most humbly entreat you, for the sake of the merits of Christ, that you would thoroughly ponder and reflect upon our faith, doctrine and undertaking; and not esteem us to be worse than you do thieves and murderers, whom you do not condemn without having certain knowledge of their case.  Our doings are not thievish, nor have we to do with perishable possessions, but with God and his word, our bodies and souls, everlasting life or eternal death.  Therefore do not look upon the usages and customs of the fathers, nor upon the worldly wise and the learned, for it is deeply hidden from their eyes.  They were always those who, from the beginning, thrust from them the wisdom of God through their own wisdom and have trampled it under foot; for the wisdom of God, which we teach, is that wisdom which none may understand, except those who are desirous of living and walking according to the will of God; it is that wisdom which is not to be brought from afar nor taught in colleges.  It must come from above and be learned through the Holy Spirit; as Paul says, Rom. 10:69.  “Do not say in your heart, who shall ascend into heaven?  (That is, to bring Christ down from above).  Or, who shall descend into the deeps (That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead).  But, what does it say?  The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart; that is the word of faith which we preach; that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.”  Therefore, look to God’s word, to the testimony and example of the holy prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles.  Let these be your doctors and teachers, and not the ambitious, mercenary preachers of this world; then you will soon perceive whether we are within or without the truth.  May the almighty and eternal God give you such hearts and minds.  To him be honor, praise and gratitude, dominion, power and majesty forever, Amen.

Seeing then, beloved, that satan can transform himself into an angel of light, 2 Cor. 11, and thus sow tares among the Lord’s wheat, such as the sword, polygamy, secular kingdom, and kings and other like errors on account of which the innocent have to suffer much; hence we are prompted to publish this our faith and doctrine; and we desire for Jesus’ sake that we might obtain so much grace that they would not treat and judge us except according to the word of God, as is reasonable and just.  But should we not obtain so much grace, we have to commend it to the Lord, who is the only helper of every one in need.  We will, nevertheless, through the grace of God, abide in the word of the Lord; and comfort ourselves with the scriptures, which say, “Thus says Jehovah that created you, O, Jacob, and he that formed you, O, Israel, do not fear; for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be scorched; neither shall the flame burn upon you; for I am Jehovah your God, the Holy one of Israel, your Saviour,” Isa. 43:1, 3.  Again: “Do not fear the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall eat them like wool.”  “I, even I, am he that comforts you: who are you that you should be afraid of a man that shall die, and the son of man which shall be made as grass.” Isa. 51:7, 8 and 12.  Christ also says: “Do not fear them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven; but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven,” Matt. 10:28, 32, 33.  “With the heart,” says Paul, “man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” Rom. 10:10.

Since then the scriptures urge us so much, both to believe and to confess, and so kindly comfort us against the raging and raving of men, therefore, we also desire to abide by the same until death.  And hereby testify before you in Christ Jesus that we neither have nor know any other foundation, faith or doctrine, than that which may be plainly read, heard, and understood in the following, from the word of God, Amen.

MENNO SIMON.

═════════════════

In the first place, we teach what Jesus, the teacher from heaven, the Oracle and Word of the Most High God himself taught, John 3:2, that now is the time of grace, a time to awaken from the sleep of our abominable sins, Rom. 13:11, and obtain an upright, converted, renewed, contrite and penitent heart, and sincerely lament before God, our past profligate and dissolute course of life, and in the fear of God, to crucify and put to death our depraved, sinful flesh, temper and nature, and arise with Christ into a new, righteous, and penitent life and conduct, Eph. 4:22; Gal. 5:24.  Even as Christ says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the Gospel,” Mark 1:15.

The time is fulfilled, and the promised day of grace approaches; the time for the appearing of the promised seed; the time of redemption, the time of that offering by which all things were to be reconciled in heaven and upon earth, Gen. 3:15; Col. 1:19; the time for the consummation of all the literal and figurative transactions into a new, spiritual life and an abiding truth; the time for which the fathers, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, David, Daniel, &c., with all the patriarchs and prophets hoped, and which they desired with many tears, and through faith saw from afar, and drew comfort and hope from there, Heb. 11:23; yes, it was to them such a great and pleasing consolation that good old Simeon desired to no longer live, when he beheld the time and saw the Redeemer.  He said, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation; which you have prepared before the face of all people,” Luke 2:29-31.

The time is fulfilled, the predictions of the prophets and promises of the fathers appear in their full power; the sworn oath is accomplished; Israel has received its King David, its Prince and Chief, who has arisen as a mighty one to prepare his way, Psm. 2:7; Isa. 9:5; Jer. 30:9; his going forth is from the heavens; the Anointed, who was the desire of all nations, has come, girded about his loins with the sword of the Spirit and valiant for battle, Mic. 5; Hag. 2; Isa. 24.

He has declared the gospel of the kingdom, the word of his Father; he taught and left unto his followers an example of pure love, and an unblemished life, Matt. 4:17; Jn. 7:14, 15; conquered the mighty, destroyed the power of the devil, bore our sins, abolished death, reconciled the Father, acquired for all the chosen children of God, grace, favor, mercy, eternal life, dominion and peace, Heb. 2; 1 Pet. 2; 1 Cor. 15, and has been ordained by his Eternal and Almighty Father as an omnipotent King over the holy Mount Zion, as the head of the Church, a Provider and Dispenser of heavenly blessings; yes, an Almighty Ruler over all in heaven and on earth, Isa. 2; Eph. 2; and this is what Christ here declares, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand,” Mark 1:15.

Out of compassion and a sincere heart, I exhort you with the apostle Paul that you take heed to this day of grace, and be obedient to the word of God, which says, “I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored you; behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” and with Paul let us “give no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults (understand this in relation to things which befall us), in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor, and dishonor; by evil report, and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things,” 2 Cor. 6:2-10.  Oh, my beloved Sirs, Friends and Brethren, my mouth is open unto you, and my heart is enlarged towards you; for your sakes I am much grieved that you are so careless, and do not observe the people by whom these plain and intelligible scriptures were written; that you so entirely despise the word of the Lord, and allow this precious time of grace, which God gives us all for improvement, to pass away so shamefully, and regard nothing more than to live with the whole heart, according to the impure and wicked lusts of your flesh, bowing the knees before dumb idols.  Alas! it is time to awake! Remember that the angel has sworn, Rev. 10:6, by the eternal and living God, who created heaven and earth, that after this time, there shall be time no longer.  From the scriptures we cannot otherwise conclude, but that this is the last watch of the year, the last proclamation of the holy gospel, the last invitation to the marriage of the Lamb, which is to be celebrated, promulgated and sanctified before the great and terrible day of the Lord.  Hereby we may learn and determine that the summer will pass away and the winter approach.  Those, who, like the foolish virgins, neglect to prepare their lamps, will come too late, knock in vain and be excluded, Matt. 25:11.  Therefore do not comfort one another with idle comfort and vain hope, as some do who think that the word should be taught and observed whilst they reject the cross.  I mean those who know the word of the Lord, but do not live according to it.  Oh, no! it is the word of the cross and will, in my opinion, remain so to the last, for it must be sustained with much suffering, and sealed with blood.  The Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world, Rev. 13:8; yes, he did not only suffer in his body, but also through the cross and death entered into that glory, which he, for a time, had left for our sakes, Luke 24:26; Jn. 11:25.  If Christ then had to suffer such torture, anguish, misery and pain, how shall his servants, children and members expect peace and freedom from suffering while in the flesh?  “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” Matt. 10:25.  “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus,” says Paul, “shall suffer persecution,” 2 Tim. 3:12.

Christ also says, “You shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake,” Matt. 10:22.

Therefore banish the pernicious thought that you may hope for another time, from your hearts, and be not deceived by your vain hopes, for I have known some who waited for a more convenient season, but did not live to realize their hopes.  Had the apostles and fathers thus waited, the gospel of the kingdom would not at this day have been preached, and the word of the Lord would have remained unknown.

Alas!  Were you christians and the people of God as you boast yourselves to be, you should be able to say with Paul, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Rom. 8:35.  For then the flesh, the devil, sin, hell and death would all be subdued; there would then be no desire to remain long in this depraved, wicked, sanguinary world; neither would you then boast of anything save the cross of Christ, Gal. 6:16, and like Paul, with the whole heart desire to be delivered from this body and dwell with Christ, Phil. 1:23.

I sincerely desire that you may awake, and not hope nor wait for a more acceptable time.  If, however, the merciful Father will give us liberty and peace, we will gladly receive them with all thankfulness from his gracious hands; but if he will not, his great name shall, notwithstanding, be praised forever.

We have all enjoyed the acceptable time of grace, for now is the day of salvation, Isa. 49:8.  Let us therefore not be like ungrateful, disobedient, blood-thirsty Jerusalem, who with such perverted minds rejected the divine peace, the heavenly grace and merciful calling; but let us awake, with sober hearts, and give ear to the inviting voice, and in this accepted time arise from the deep slumber of our abominable and offensive sins, for the Lord is at hand.  “The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light, let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts of it,” Rom. 13:12-14.  Let every one be vigilent, and improve the time which God has graciously given for repentance.  Ecce nunc tempus acceptum, ecce nunc dies salutis.  “Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation,” 2 Cor. 6:2.

═════════════════

We poor, wretched men, deprived of all human assistance and consolation, who like innocent sheep without a shepherd, have become a prey to the roaring lions of the forest, and devouring beasts of the field; a spectacle and reproach to the whole world, have to suffer daily, under the oppressive sword of lords and princes; have to hear and endure the inhuman revilings and abuse of the learned, the abominable lying and scoffing of the common people.  We humbly entreat the imperial majesty, kings, lords, princes, authorities and officers, every one in his calling, dignity and honor, and all our beloved and gracious rulers, through the deep and bloody wounds of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ that you would but once lay aside all displeasure and evil opinions concerning us, and with sincere pity reflect upon the inhuman and severe trials, misery, depredations, crosses and martyrizations of your distressed and innocent servants; for the great God before whom we stand, who is the Searcher of all hearts, and before whose eyes all things are open and revealed; who knows that we seek nothing else upon this earth than that we, with a good conscience, may live according to his holy commandments, ordinances, word and will; but if there are some pernicious sects, as alas in our day there have been, they will, no doubt, in due time become manifest.

Do therefore condescend so much as to peruse our writings diligently and meditate upon them with a God-fearing and impartial heart, so that you may know with certainty why we are not deterred from our doctrine, faith and practice, by coercion, poverty, misery, persecution and death; that you may thus more thoroughly examine the truth and be no longer guilty of innocent blood.  Be pleased to show some natural candor, and human charity towards your poor servants.  Do not think in your hearts that we poor, forsaken men, after the flesh, are wood or stone; but we are with you descended from one father, Adam, and from one mother, Eve, and are created by the same God; having a common entrance into this world, are clothed with the same nature, desiring rest and peace, concerned for wives and children as well as you, and naturally, as all other creatures on earth, fearful of death.

Therefore, humble yourselves in the name of Jesus, that your poor souls may be saved.  Examine, I say, our doctrine and instructions, and you will find through the grace of God that they are the pure and unadulterated doctrines of Christ, the holy word, the word of eternal peace, the word of eternal truth, the word of divine grace, the word of our salvation, the unconquerable word, against which the gates of hell shall never prevail, Matt. 16:18; they are the two-edged sword that proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord, Rev. 1:16, the sword of the spirit by which all must be judged that dwell upon the earth, Eph. 6:17.

O, you beloved sirs, put the sword into the sheath; for as true as the Lord lives, you do not fight against flesh and blood, but against Him, whose eyes are a flame of fire, who judges and makes war in righteousness; who is crowned with many crowns, with a name no one knows but himself; who is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; whose name is called the Word of God; who rules the nations with a rod of iron; who treads the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God; who has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, Rev. 19:11-16.

O, you highly renowned lords and princes, it is against this Being that you are in this manner contending with your counsel and sword.  Remember what the great prophet of the Lord, Zechariah, said concerning the children of God, who, in this world are ever subject to suffering, “He that touches you, touches the apple of my eye,” Zec. 2:8.  It is a fearful abomination, and bitter enmity, thus miserably to murder, destroy and exterminate those, who with such warm hearts, seek the Lord and eternal life, and who would not molest any one upon the earth.  “Precious in the sight of Jehovah,” David says, “is the death of his saints,” Psm. 116:15.  It is Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute, Acts 9:5, and not us; therefore awake, forbear, fear God and his word, for we shall all be called to appear before one Judge, before whom neither power, exaltation, comeliness, fine speech nor talents will avail.  Judgment will there be passed in righteousness upon all flesh, impartially and without respect to persons; the oppressed will then receive justice, and the crucified Jesus with his elect, released from the power of death and the hands of tyrants, will enter into his promised inheritance, kingdom and glory.

Seeing then that you deal so unjustly and tyrannically, according to the evil intentions of your hearts, without the sanction of scripture and mercy, with the helpless and God-fearing, how can you expect any grace and mercy in the day of the Lord, when we shall all have to stand before the impartial judgment seat, where every one will be rewarded according to his deeds?  2 Cor. 5:10.

We do not desire such favors as the evildoers of this world; for we have not sinned in this: our doctrine, faith and practice, although we have to suffer so much; but we, only with the word of the Lord, as the scriptures direct us, resist the anti-christian doctrines, ordinances and life.  We resist neither the emperor, the king, nor any authority to which they are called by God; but we are ready to obey till death, in all things which are not contrary to God and his word, and well know what the scriptures teach and enjoin concerning this matter, Rom. 13:18.  But we desire so much mercy that under your gracious protection we may live, teach, labor, and serve the Lord, according to the dictates of our consciences, so that to you and many with you, the gospel of Christ may be rightly preached, and the gate of life opened.  Alas! if the learned had the word of God, and we had it not, how gladly would we be taught by them.  But since we have it, and they do not, therefore we pray, for Jesus’ sake, do not urge us to leave Christ and join anti-christ; to go from truth to error; from life to certain death.

Oh, you renowned lords and princes, who are appointed by God, to be heads and rulers, consider well and believe on the word of the Lord; for if you will not desist from unrighteousness, fear God and do right, it would be better for you if you had never been born.  The innocent blood of Abel calls unto heaven, and will be strictly demanded at your hands at the last day.  Again we say, awake, fear God’s word; for God, the Lord himself, will rule in heaven, in his kingdom, that is in the hearts of men.  He will permit none to detract from his glory, or become exalted above him.  Lucifer, the fair angel of God, desired to exalt himself to the Most High, and was cast out of heaven into the abyss of hell; and is retained in chains of darkness till the judgement of the last day, Isa.14:12-15; Rev. 12:7-9; 2 Pet. 2:4.

Beloved Sirs, receive it in love, and do not be offended, for the truth must be made known.  Your pride has arisen to heaven; look to Christ and his word, his example and his life; judge impartially, and you will find this to be true.  The Almighty, eternal Father, through his everlasting Wisdom, Christ Jesus, has instituted and commanded all things in his kingdom, that is in his church, relating to doctrines, sacraments and life, according to his divine counsel, will and wisdom.  But you, through the counsel and instigation of the learned, by your inhuman and cruel mandates, have changed, destroyed and corrupted these, as if the almighty and eternal word should yield to your command and authority; and as though the divine ordinances of the Son of God might be changed into a more suitable form, and to a better purpose through the wisdom of men.  O, presumption of all presumption!  O, folly of all follies!  Why exalt yourself, O, earth and dust!  Acknowledge Christ Jesus, your chief Lord, who, by God, is made your Prince and Judge.  “The heaven, even the heavens are Jehovah’s,” says David, “but the earth he has given to the children of men,” Psm. 115:16.  I have no doubt that if any were to rise up against the emperor or king, and enter into his kingdom and government, he would not be borne with patiently, nor go unpunished; how much less then, will a poor, fleshly mortal go unpunished, who rises up against the Almighty Emperor, and King, Christ Jesus, to dethrone him from the seat of his divine majesty, and to rob him of his sceptre; and the crown of his glory, as though Christ Jesus, the everlasting wisdom of God, was unreasonable and unfit for the heavenly government.  Reflect on what became of those haughty and proud hearts from the beginning, who desired to place their seats unto the throne of God.

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, as Peter teaches.  Take as an example the great and prosperous king Nebuchadnezzar, and observe how grievously God punished him, on account of his pride; and how, after being punished, he turned to wisdom, feared the Almighty, highly praised his wonderful and glorious works, and his great and adorable name.

Beloved Sirs, awake, and mend your ways, for it does not become the creature to rise up against the Creator.  Christ alone will be the head of his church, the Teacher in his school; and he alone, the King who will judge his kingdom; not with the doctrines and commands of men, nor with slaying and murdering, but with his Holy Spirit, power, grace and word.

Therefore, we pray you, O, you great ones of the earth, whom we, through the mercy of God, acknowledge in all temporal things as our gracious lords, that you would receive the everlasting, Almighty King, Christ Jesus, as the only Savior, Lord and sovereign of our poor souls, even as he was ordained by his Father; and that you would attend to the duties of your office and temporal government to which you have been called; for we with all our hearts, desire to render unto “Caesar, the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things which are God’s,” Matt. 22:21.  Be pleased also to consider this, our doctrine and instruction, concerning baptism, the Lord’s supper, and the shunning of Babylonian deeds; and compare them well with the word of the Lord.  We hope, through the grace of God that you will find, in truth, that we believe and teach nothing but that which the true oracle of the Lord has commanded us, and the holy apostles have taught and confirmed; to this end, may the great Lord grant you his grace, Amen.

═════════════════

Christ, after his resurrection, commanded his apostles, saying, “Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen,” Matt. 28:19,20.

Here we have the Lord’s command concerning baptism, when and how, after the ordinance of God, it shall be administered and received; namely, that the gospel must first be preached, and then those baptized who believe in it, as Christ says, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that does not believe shall be damned,” Mark 16:15.  Thus has the Lord commanded and ordered; therefore, let nothing else be taught or practiced forever.  The word of God abides forever.  Young children are without understanding and cannot be taught this, therefore, baptism cannot be administered to them without perverting the ordinance of the Lord; misusing his exalted name, and doing violence to his holy word.  In the New Testament there are no ordinances enjoined upon infants, for it treats, both in doctrines and sacraments, with those who have ears to hear, and hearts to understand, Matt. 13:16.  Even as Christ commanded, so the holy apostles also taught and practiced, as may be plainly perceived in many parts of the New Testament.  Thus Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” Acts 2:38.  Again, Philip said to the eunuch, “If you believe with all your heart, you may,” Acts 8:37.  Here, faith did not follow baptism, but baptism followed faith, Mark 16:16.

Christ has thus commanded baptism, and received it himself, according to the following manner: When the time had come, and the hour had approached, in which he would fulfil the commission enjoined upon him, preach the word, and make known his Father’s holy name, he came to John, to the Jordan, and desired to be baptized by him, that he might fulfil all righteousness.  He prepared to meet temptation, misery, the cross and death, and as a willing, obedient child, resigned himself to the will of his Almighty Father.  He himself says, “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me,” Jn. 6:38.  He was baptized by John, attested to by the Holy Spirit, and acknowledged by the Father as a beloved Son, Matt. 3:17; 17:5.

Behold, thus Christ commands, and was himself baptized; thus the apostles taught and practiced.  Who will rise up against the Lord, and say, it shall not be so?  Who will teach and instruct wisdom?  Who will accuse the apostles and evangelists with falsehood?  It would be entirely unbecoming for a child to command and judge his father, or a servant, his master, and it is much more unbecoming for the creature to exalt himself above his Creator.  But now it is manifest that the whole world, with its unprofitable doctrines, and commandments of men; with its anti-christian customs, long standing usages, its tyrannical, murdering sword, judges over Christ and his word.  The truths of Christ are esteemed lies; his wisdom, foolishness; his light, darkness, and his gospel, perverted and false.  In short, Christ must be silent and suffer.

Now it may perhaps be said that this was necessary in the beginning of the gospel, because at that time, there were no believers whose children might be baptized; but now, if the parents are believers, then are the children also to be baptized, even as Abraham, when he believed, circumcised his children, Gen. 17:23.  O, no!  This does not follow.

Although Abraham believed God, only one-half of his seed was circumcised, namely, the male children, and not the female, though he was the father of the female, as well as of the male children, of which, by the grace of God, more shall be said in the replication.

In the beginning the gospel was to be preached, and faith followed hearing, and baptism followed faith; this is incontrovertable, for so the Scriptures teach, Rom. 10:17.  But that the children of believers should be baptized because Abraham’s children were circumcised, can in no way be sustained by Scripture; but if it could be established, though it cannot, there would then be but few children baptized, for the number of true believers, it is to be lamented, is very small, as any one may see.

They are not all christians who are so called.  But those only who have the Spirit of Christ are true christians, though I do not know where many are to be found.  Yes, what more shall we say?  All who with Abel bring an acceptable offering; those who are born with Isaac of the free woman, and with Jacob have the birthright, and have obtained the paternal blessing must be slain by blood-thirsty Cain, mocked by Ishmael, and hated by Esau, even as we hear and see on all sides.  May God effect a change for the better.

Behold, this is the word and will of the Lord, that all who hear and believe the word of God shall be baptized (as above stated), thereby to profess their faith, and declare that they will henceforth not live according to their own will, but according to the will of God.  That for the testimony of Jesus they are prepared to forsake their homes, chattels, lands and lives, and to suffer hunger, affliction, oppression, persecution, the cross and death; yes, they desire to bury the flesh with its lusts, and arise with Christ to newness of life, even as Paul says, “Do you not know that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life;” Col. 2:11,12; Rom. 6:3, 4.

Beloved Reader, take heed to the word of the Lord, for this also Paul teaches, who did not receive his gospel from men, but from the Lord himself; even as Christ died and was buried, so also we ought to die unto our sins, and be buried with Christ in baptism; we are not to do this after we have been baptized, but we must commence and do all this before hand.  “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin; for he that is dead is freed from sin,” Rom. 6:5-7; for even as Christ died, has taken away sin, and lives unto God, so every true christian dies unto sin, and lives unto God.

Having briefly noticed the Lord’s command, and the apostolic doctrine, practices and signification of baptism; that it is and will be the true baptism to the end of time, we will also, now, through the grace of God, as a duty, refer and reply to some scriptural passages of which the learned wrongfully make use, to make void the ordinance of the Lord, and place in its stead their own.

In the first place, they teach that we are all the children of wrath, and sinful; born of the sinful seed of Adam, and therefore, say they, children are to be baptized, in order to be purified and washed from original sin, &c.

To this we reply thus: With the word of the Lord, we believe and confess that we all come from, and are born of, unclean seed; that we through the first Adam, who was of the earth, became wholly depraved, and children of death and of hell, Rom. 5:12.  Nevertheless, as we fell, and became sinners in Adam, we also believe and confess that through Christ, the second and heavenly Adam, we were restored to grace and justified.  For he appeared upon earth, that in and through him we might have life.  Through him only, we glory to have obtained grace, favor and the forgiveness of our sins with God our Father; and not through baptism, whether we are children or believers; for if redemption, and the washing away of original sin, were through baptism, and not by the blood of Christ alone, then would the sweet smelling sacrifice, which is of eternal worth, have been in vain, and without effect, or there would be two remedies for our sins.  But, no!  The Scriptures speak only of one, which is Christ, with his merits, death and blood, 1 Pet. 1:19.  Therefore, he who seeks the remission of his sins through baptism rejects the blood of the Lord and makes water his idol.  Therefore, let every one be careful, lest he ascribe the honor and glory due to Christ to the outward ceremonies and created elements.

It is true, Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” But this is not to be understood [as meaning] that we receive the remission of our sins through baptism.  O, no!  For if it be so, then Christ and his merits must fall.  But we receive the remission of our sins, in baptism, as follows:

The Lord commanded his gospel to be preached to every creature, so that all who believe and are baptized may be saved.  Where there is faith, which is called the gift of God, by Paul, there also are the power and the fruits of faith.  Where there is an active, fruitful faith, there also is the promise; but where such a faith does not exist (we speak of adults), there also is no promise.  For he that hears the word of the Lord, and believes it with the heart, manifests his fruit, and faithfully observes all things the Lord commanded him; for the Scriptures teach the just shall live by faith, Heb. 10:38.  Then the remission of his sins is preached to him, as Peter teaches and instructs.

Had Noah and Lot not believed the word of the Lord, they would have fared ill.  Had Abraham not believed, he would not have obtained such glorious promises; but they believed, and did right, and became heirs of righteousness, Heb. 11:8.

Had Moses and Israel not believed the word of the Lord and been disobedient, how could they have been succored in the sea and in the wilderness?  But they believed, and according to his promise, were protected by the mighty hand of the Lord.  But those who provoked him, and did not believe his gracious word and the great miracles, fell in the wilderness, and did not enter the promised land.

There was also reconciliation connected with the sacrifices of the Old Testament, not on account of the worth of the smoking offerings upon the altars; for it was not possible, says Paul, that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin, Heb. 10:4.  Before it was offered, it was all Jehovah’s, and the cattle upon a thousand hills were his, says David. Psm. 50:10.  But because the righteous believed the word of divine promise as true, and walked in obedience to his command, so now also is the remission of sins preached through baptism; not on account of the water, or the ceremonies performed, for Christ, I repeat, is the only source of grace; but because the righteous receive the promises of the Lord by faith, and obediently follow his word and will.

This direction does not extend to infants.  For in all the Scriptures, there is not a single command given to baptize them.  Therefore, it is not required of them as a sign of obedience.  Since, then, infant baptism is performed without the command of God, it cannot be a ceremony of God, but a pernicious superstition of men, and evidently idolatry; therefore, the promise of God cannot rest upon such abominations.  It seems to me, it is high time to awaken, and to give heed to the Scriptures.  For Jesus’ sake, sin is not imputed to infants that are innocent, and incapable of understanding.  Life is promised, not through any ceremony, but out of pure grace, through the blood of the Lord, as he himself says, “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God,” Mark 10:14.  But concerning baptism he did not command them any thing.

According to my opinion, it is a great error, which some entertain, that the children of the Jews were acceptable to Christ on account of circumcision; and that ours are acceptable to him on account of baptism.  O, blasphemy and infamy!  In every instance, Christ, the only medium of divine grace must be set aside, and grace must be attributed to the lifeless rites and elements.  Here I would ask all pedo-baptists, how they are going to prove that these blessed children were all circumcised, and that there were not among them female children!  If they were acceptable on account of their circumcision, as they pretend, then, why were [some] adults who were circumcised not acceptable?

Although they were circumcised, he commanded that adults should be baptized upon their faith; but concerning infants he gave no such command.  He took them into his arms, laid his hands upon them and blessed them; promised them the kingdom, and dismissed them; but he did not baptize them.

We well know, beloved reader, that there are many unprofitable talkers, who teach from the letters of the Scriptures, that infants should not be baptized, but only Christian believers; nevertheless they say: Why my beloved, what can water avail us?  We have been baptized once in the name of God.  Had we only the new life, it would suffice us.  O, dear Lord!  Thus is your precious word every where esteemed in this vicious world as the fables of Æsop; as if Omnipotent Majesty, the Eternal Wisdom and Truth had taught and commanded some things to no purpose.  No, my good reader, no; his name [title] is the Sovereign Lord; his word is his will; his command is eternal life.  All things which he has taught and commanded us, he will undoubtedly have us to observe; if we do not, woe to us.  Christ says, “You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you,” John 15:14.  “My counsel,” says his prophet, “shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure,” Isa. 48:10.  Therefore, O, creature, do not fight any longer against God.  Give ear to him and obey his voice, for it is his divine counsel, word and will.  Who are you that you would contend with God?  Christ’s sheep hear his voice.  True Christians believe and obey.  Are you a sincere Christian, born by God?  Then why do you dread baptism; which is among the least that God commanded you?  It has always been a difficult and important command to love your enemy; to do good to those who hate you; to pray in spirit and in truth for those who persecute you; to crucify your wicked and ungodly flesh, with its impure lusts and desires; to subdue your arrogant pride; your avariciousness; your offensive unchastity; your bloody hatred; your eating and drinking to excess; to renounce your accursed idolatry; to desist from your envious revilings; to curb your slanderous tongue; to govern your heart and flesh; to love and fear with all your heart, your Lord and God, your Creator and Redeemer; and in all things to submit to his holy word, and serve your neighbor in sincere and unfeigned love, with all your powers, with all your possessions, with your counsel, with your labor, yes, if required, with your death and blood; with a sincere heart to suffer misery, disdain, and the oppressive cross of Christ for the Lord’s word; and to confess Christ Jesus before lords and princes, in prison and bonds, by words and deeds, unto death.

You know, beloved sirs, friends and brethren, that every where much is written, preached and said concerning the Lord’s Supper.  But with what knowledge, with what faith, love, peace, unity, and after what manner and ordinance they celebrate it, is plainly evident.  It is true, the Lord commanded, in the New Testament, the breaking of bread, or the last Supper, but not in the manner in which you celebrate it.  Your Lord’s Supper is common to all, no matter who or what they are; to the avaricious, proud, gay, drunkards, haters, idolators, debauchees, adulterers, whore-mongers, and rogues.  It is also celebrated, as may be seen, with abominable pomp and splendor, with hypocrisy and idolatry; and besides, it is dispensed by such ministers who only seek worldly honor, ease and the satisfaction of the cravings of their flesh and bodies.

Since so many of you are so zealous about the Lord’s Supper, but not according to the Scripture, as you shall hear; for your table may more properly be called the devil’s table than the Lord’s table, 1 Cor. 10:21, I desire for Jesus’ sake that you would, in the true fear of God, reflect to whom, why and wherefore the Lord instituted, ordained and left this, his last Supper, to his church, so that it may prove to you a living and an affecting sign; that it might bring to your minds, and set forth the Lord’s great and abundant kindness, true peace, the love and union of his church, the communion of his flesh and blood; and that you may die to unrighteousness, and every ungodly work; live to righteousness and godliness; renounce the devil’s table; and that you may sit down at the Lord’s holy table, in the church of Christ, with true faith, a pious, penitent and regenerated life, and with unfeigned brotherly love.

Thus says Paul, “I have received from the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11:23-25.

Here you have Paul’s explanation of the words of the Holy Supper, instituted by Jesus Christ, Luke 22:19,20, concerning which words the learned have disputed much; and alas, some of them, through their idolatrous misunderstanding (if we may call it such, and not pride), have disputed at the expense of much innocent blood; and what holy Paul says concerning them is  fulfilled, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” Rom. 1:22.  For they disputed most about the sign, which avails little, but the thing signified for which the sign was instituted, which avails much, they do not touch.  In my opinion, they also pay little attention as to what the qualification of the guests or communicants should be, in order to sit with Christ at his table, and to celebrate this Holy Sacrament.

There is not a single word commanded in the Scriptures that should give cause for dispute concerning the visible and tangible sign, or what it signifies.  The spiritual judge all things spiritually.  For whatever that may be in substance, it can be handled, seen and tasted.  But this we should most consider, that we in our weakness ought to follow, and as much as possible conform ourselves to the signification which is set forth, represented and taught by this sign to all true christian believers.

On this account, we will not trouble the well meaning and pious reader with jarring, fruitless disputing, concerning the outward sign, as the learned do; but we only desire, by the help and grace of the Lord, by the power of the divine word, to point out correctly, for whom, and why Christ Jesus left and ordained this Supper; so that we may not esteem the visible sign above the reality, and depart from the truth to images.

To come to a right, profitable and christian understanding of the Lord’s Holy Supper, what it is, to whom, why, and wherefore it was enjoined, four things in particular should be observed and well considered.

In the first place, we must take heed that we do not do as some, who make [pretend that] the visible, perishable bread and wine [becomes] the Lord’s real flesh and blood.  To believe this is contrary to nature, reason and Scripture; yes, it is open blasphemy against the Son of God, an abomination and idolatry.

We further teach and admonish from the word of God that all true children of God, who are regenerated from the incorruptible living seed of the divine word, who have separated themselves, according to the Scriptures, from the idolatrous generation, and yielded to the yoke and cross of Christ, and who are able to judge between true and false doctrines, between Christ and anti-christ, must shun, according to Scripture, all seducing and idolatrous preachers with their doctrines, sacraments and worship.  They must avoid all, of every doctrine, faith, sect, creed and name, who are not found in the pure doctrine of Christ, and in the scriptural usage of his sacraments, because they have neither calling, doctrine, nor life, according to the word of God, but are sent by anti-christ, and ordained in his employment and service.

Because they not only fail to observe and acknowledge the pure doctrine of Christ, and the established usages of the apostolic church in relation to the holy sacraments, but because they also have changed them into vain confusion, abominable and open idolatry, as has been stated.

Because they have deceitfully mingled the light froth of man’s doctrine with the fair, precious gold of the divine word; and the pure wine with the unclean waters of their foolish wisdom.

Because they so shamefully censure, abuse, assail, and would willingly root out and burn the city of God, the city of righteousness and everlasting peace; the lovely Jerusalem with its sacred temple, the house of prayer, and rule in it with their spiritual money-changers, Pharisaic commands, and enchanting traffic.

Because like Belshazzar, they, in their Babylonian idolatries and drunkenness, so miserably misuse and degrade the precious vessels and utensils of the Lord, the precious souls whom he has consecrated with his crimson blood, and by whom the true service of the Lord should be performed, Rev. 1:5; Dan. 5:3.

Because like Herod, they mock Christ, the everlasting Wisdom of God, as a fool arrayed in a fool’s garment; and his holy apostles, the witnesses of his eternal truth, they regard as useless talkers and liars, and thrust them out with scorn.

In short, they preach and lay before the poor people, lies for truth; darkness for light; death for life, and anti-christ for Christ.

Therefore it is unfit that the bride of Christ, who stands prepared to hear only the bridegroom’s voice, the dear children of God who have their feet washed and their garments cleansed in the blood of the Lamb, John 3:29; who are established upon the immovable foundations of the apostles and prophets, upon the precious corner stone, Christ Jesus, should again hear the strange voice and doctrines of anti-christ, again defile their garments, and in faith, doctrines, worship, and life accord with anti-christ.  They who do so, if they do not repent, are condemned by the Scriptures and adjudged to death.

This we teach according to our limited talents, with all earnestness, as much as in us is, not out of contempt, as the Lord knows, nor yet out of obstinacy, caprice, or party stubbornness, as the world ascribes to us.  Oh no!  God preserve all his own from party spirit.  But we so preach out of the true fear of the Lord and the great distress and burden of our consciences.  God’s pressing word, and love for your poor souls, urge us, as may, through the grace of God, be seen with more clearness hereafter.

═════════════════

According to the Scriptures, the calling and sending of true preachers were performed in two ways; some were called by God alone, without any human instrumentality, as was the case with the prophets and apostles.  Others were called through the medium of the pious, as may be seen from Acts 1:23-26; 1 Tim. 3:7.  We hope no one will be so ignorant, who is otherwise of a candid and rational mind, but that he will know that the whole Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testaments, were written for our instruction, admonition and correction; and that they are the true sceptre and rule by which the Lord’s kingdom, house, church and congregation must be governed and adjusted, 2 Cor. 3:16.  Every thing contrary to Scripture, whether it be in doctrines, faith, sacraments, worship or conduct, should be measured by this infallible rule, and demolished by this just and divine sceptre, without any respect to persons, and brought to nothing.  Therefore would we, your willing servants and associates, of like mortal nature with you, each one in the office and station to which he is called, humbly admonish you, in all love, that you would reflect on the salvation of your immortal souls and would rightly examine the sending or calling, the doctrine and conduct of the overseers, pastors and preachers of your churches.  Examine them by the aid of the spirit of the Lord, and by the doctrines and customs of the apostles, because you have persecuted and destroyed so many pious godly Christians, by the idols’ houses of the ungodly, which are supported by the bloody havoc and cries of the [supposedly] learned.  Yes, we do not doubt that if you follow our advice with a sincere heart, you will soon perceive that we, miserable men, do nothing more in this matter than the word of God teaches and enjoins; and that your preachers are not the servants of Christ, but hirelings, hypocrites, deceivers and mockers, concerning whom the Scriptures warn us, on every side; and represent them under many evil names, John 10:12; Matt. 3:4.

Candid reader!  Let this be to you a true and unwavering rule, that all who rightly preach Christ and his word, and thereby bring forth obedient children to the Lord must have been called through one of the aforementioned means.  They must have been brought into the vineyard of the Lord, through the true and unfeigned love of God and man, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  They must improve the talent of grace which they have received from God, they must rebuke sin, and teach faith and righteousness, without any respect of person, they must set forth the word and praise of the Lord; they must faithfully perform the work and service of the Lord and bring the gathered sheaves into his barn and the acquired wealth into his treasury.  Such a shepherd was the faithful Moses; for when Jehovah informed him that Israel had made a molten calf, he hastened from the mountain, and when he heard the tumult and saw the multitude playing and dancing, a provoked zeal burned in his heart, so that he cast down and broke the stone tables which the Lord had written with his own finger.  He cared neither for life nor death, but rushed forth among the idolatrous people, and rebuked them by his word and by the sword, because they gave to a molten creature the honor of Almighty God, who with such love gloriously effected their deliverance from Egypt, Exo. 32:7.

When Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, a man full of the Holy Spirit, saw the false worship of the people, he hazarded his life, and stood forth for the honor of the Lord.  He rebuked his brethren, erring Israel, and said, “Why do you transgress the commandments of Jehovah, that you cannot prosper?  Because you have forsaken Jehovah, He also has forsaken you.” 2 Chr. 24:20.

Also the worthy prophet Jeremiah was burdened with much suffering and cares.  He was much troubled on account of his faithful services, and had determined in his heart to prophesy no more in the name of Jehovah; but when he saw that the people were ungodly and neither acted nor spoke aright, he said, “God’s word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay,” Jer. 20:9.

Again, also holy Paul says, “Woe is unto me, if I do not preach the gospel!  For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me,” 1 Cor. 9:17.

Behold, my good reader, all who by such a power are touched in their hearts, who are moved by the Holy Spirit, who are pressed by love to God and man, and urged by the Lord himself, or by his spotless Christian church; or are called to the service of the Lord by an unblameable, truly believing Christian church, to rightly teach in the house of God; that is the church of Jesus Christ, with sound doctrine, and by pious and unblameable conduct, admonish, rebuke, reprove and comfort them in paternal love; to set forth and administer the Lord’s holy baptism and Supper, in a right manner; to repel diligently, with God’s word, all deluding and false teachers; and to exclude all evil members from the communion of the godly, &c.  To such, the word of Christ is, ‘As my Father has sent me, even so I send you;’ without such a sending, no one can ever rightly preach the gospel, as Paul says, “How shall they preach except they be sent?” Rom. 10:15.

Yes, it was with this sending and calling that all the prophets, apostles and servants of God came forth.  They did not assume the Honor for themselves, as do the preachers of this world; but like Aaron, they were called by God, or, as has been said, by the spotless church.  They were brought by the spirit of God, with pious hearts, into his service; they had always esteemed themselves unfit to serve the people of God, or stand forth in such a high and responsible station.

When Moses was called by the Lord, that he might lead out the people, he refused from his heart, he excused himself and declined, because he was of a slow tongue; he did not desire the office to which the Lord had chosen him, yes, he resisted so long that Jehovah was angry, Exo. 4:10-15.

Isaiah was confounded because he was to preach the word of Jehovah.  He lamented that he was of unclean lips, till the angel purged them with a coal from off the holy altar, Isa. 6:6.

Jeremiah was called and prepared from his birth by God, to be a prophet; he said, “Ah, Lord Jehovah!  Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Jer. 1:6.

Peter was asked by our Lord three times, if he loved him, before he gave him charge of his sheep, John 21:15.

Paul was called from heaven, and appointed by the Lord himself in the service of the Gospel; for the Lord chose him as suitable for the ministry, Acts 9:3.

Matthias was chosen through the zealous prayers of the church, and the lots of the apostles, to be an apostle in the place of Judas, Acts 1:26.

All who are not sent by God, nor by an unblameable christian church, conformable to the regulations of Christ and the apostles, are not called, as said above.  Such are not called by the Holy Spirit; by the pure, unfeigned love of God and their brethren; and with a correct knowledge and zeal for the divine word; but they enter upon it with a temporal, sensual life, seeking man’s favor, praise, money and profit.  They will never gather fruit in the vineyard of the Lord, though they may be learned in language, eloquent and esteemed as great and excellent men.  But all that they attempt is lost labor.  They will rise too early, or go out too late, their calling is powerless, their service is vain, their labor without fruit, yes, it is nothing but sowing by the way, and beating against the wind; for no one can serve in this high and holy office, conformably to God’s will, except those whom the Lord of the vineyard has made worthy and fit, by the spirit of his grace.

Since this sending is the true sending and calling, which is taught in the Scriptures, as has been observed, we faithfully counsel the reader that in the pure fear of God, he would mark what kind of people their teachers are; of whom, in what way, and to what they are called.  For it is manifest that some of them are useless, haughty, lustful men; some are avaricious, usurers, liars, deceivers, others again are drunkards, gamblers, licentious, open seducers, idolaters, &c., concerning whom it stands written, If they do not repent, they shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6:9,10.  Some also, are idle profligates, young and haughty, wholly unlearned in the Scriptures; and were anointed and shaven by anti-christ, when they obtain a little knowledge of the Latin tongue, as if the qualifications for the ministry and for the care of our souls were not to be founded upon godliness and the gifts of grace, but upon language.  Oh no, my reader, no, their foundation must be sought for more deeply.

As I have presented to the reader the first part in relation to the sending and calling of a true preacher, according to the word of God, I will now, through the grace of God, present in like manner the second part, relating to the doctrine; for there is but little difference between their calling and their doctrine, as the calling is, even so, most commonly, is the doctrine.

Where the spirit of God urges or moves [one] to preach, there will the word be incorruptibly taught in the power of God; and upright children of the spirit will thereby be born.  But where flesh and blood calls, there will a carnal doctrine be taught and carnal disciples will be made, for that like produces like is incontrovertible.  I deem it unnecessary here to prove this with much scripture, for their actions bear testimony.

The Scriptures plainly show how a preacher rightly called by the word of God is to rightly teach that word without perverting glosses, without any mingling of leaven; as Peter says, “If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God,” 1 Peter 4:11.  They are the children of the Holy Spirit who speak the word of the Spirit, as Christ said, “It is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you,” Matt. 10:20.  “For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God,” John 3:34.  To preach the word salutarily and unblamably, is one of the highest and greatest commands enjoined by Christ.  He said, “Go in all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark l6:15.

The Gospel, the word of God, preached unmingled, in the power of the spirit, is the only right, true seed from which are born the truly believing and obedient children of God.  If the church of Christ brings forth children from the doctrine of man, and not from God’s word, she is not faithful unto Christ, and her children are not of his seed.

Therefore nothing else may be preached in Christ’s kingdom and house, the church, except her King and husband’s own commands and words, according to which she and all her servants must conform.

This command and word (I say), Christ commanded all true messengers and preachers to observe, as he spoke; Preach the gospel.  He does not say, preach the doctrines and commands of man; preach councils and customs; preach glossy ordinances and the opinions of the learned, but he says, “Preach the gospel,” and “teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,” Matt. 28:20.

My faithful reader, observe that all the true servants of God, both of the Old and New Testaments, taught nothing but God’s word, as may be seen and read in many places in the Scriptures.

Moses was found faithful to God in all his house.  He regulated and taught nothing which God had not before commanded him, Num. 12:7; Heb. 3:2.

As you have just heard the ground of the calling and doctrines of the preachers, we will proceed, and through the grace of God point out by the Scriptures how the true apostles, overseers, teachers and pastors, in the church of Christ, should conduct themselves in their deportment and lives; it is not enough that a man appears to speak much of the word of the Lord, but what he says must also be maintained by devout and unblameable conduct, as the Scriptures teach.

Thus says Paul, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Cor. 9:27.  If it becomes the hearers and disciples to lead an unblameable life, how much more does it become teachers, because they rule the hearers and are their overseers; as Paul says, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversion,” Heb. 13:7.

He also admonishes Timothy about this, and says, “Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to the believers, in word, in conduct, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity,” 1 Tim. 4:12.  In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works; in doctrine, showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, &c., Tit. 2:7.  For it is undoubtedly proper, if any one teaches and reproves others that he first himself be rightly taught and unblameable, as Paul teaches, “If a man desires the office of an overseer, he desires a good work: An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, not a striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that rules his own house well, having his children in subjection with all gravity; for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?  Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  Moreover, he must have a good report from them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil; he must be sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word, as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers; even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things,” 1 Tim. 3:1-11; Titus 1:8,9.

Behold dear reader, it is requisite that every preacher and teacher, who would rightly govern and rule in the church of God be thus qualified; for if any one were to reprove and teach others, and is himself not blameless and is ignorant; he will justly have to hear; Why do you teach others and not teach yourself first!  You teach a man should not steal, and you do steal.  You say a man should not commit adultery, and you do.  You abhor idols, yet you commit sacrilege.  You boast of the law of God; and dishonor God by breaking the law, Rom. 2:21-23.

All those thus called, who are in sound doctrine, and unblameable in life, may teach, exhort, reprove, root up, and build in the name of the Lord; their labors will not be fruitless, as may be seen in the case of Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, John, and with all the true prophets, apostles and servants of God, who preached the word unblamably in the power of the Spirit.

Their doctrine cuts like a sharp edged sword, for it has power, it is fruitful, has spirit and energy, as the prophet says, “As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it,” Isa. 55:10,11.

Yes, all those who enter the vineyard of the Lord with such a sending or calling, and with such a spirit, doctrine and conduct, as said, are the shepherds of whom it is written, “I will give you pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding,” Jer. 3:15.

They are the teachers who turn many to righteousness; and they shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, as the stars forever, Dan. 12:3.

They are the spiritual streams, and the rivers of the paradise of Christ, which issue from the fountains of the paradise of God, to irrigate and fertilize the whole country, Gen. 2:10-14.

They are the spiritual posts and pillars in the court of the tabernacle of Moses with hangings of fine twined linen, Exo. 27:9.

They are the three score valiant men, of the valiant of Israel, who are around Solomon’s bed; they all hold swords; being expert in war; every man with his sword upon his thigh, because of fear in the night, Cant. 3: 7,8.

They are the seven horns or trumpets, of the golden years, before whose sounds, teaching and preaching, the walls of Jericho fell, that is all false doctrine, all powers and dominions raised up against the true Joshua, Jesus Christ, and his people, are brought low, Josh. 6:10.

They are the beautiful messengers of peace, who preach the gospel of grace, favor, mercy, love, and peace, and bring glad tidings of good things, to us, poor, miserable, troubled sinners, Isaiah 52:7; Rom. 10:15.

They are seven mighty mountains, whereupon grow roses and lilies, whose sweet scent refreshes with joy all who fear the Lord, 2 Esd. 2:19.

They are the splendid crown of twelve stars of the woman, pregnant and in travail, Rev. 12:1, 2.

They are the walls of the new and heavenly Jerusalem, based upon the twelve foundations, that is upon the ground and doctrine of the twelve apostles, Rev. 21:14.

See, worthy reader, with such and similar glorious images and parables, are all the pious pastors and teachers honored in the Scriptures, whom the Holy Spirit has ordained as overseers in his church, congregation and house.

These may say with holy Paul, Follow us as we are the followers of Christ, “for our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed by God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tries our hearts; for neither at any time, did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness.  Nor did we seek glory from men,” 2 Thes. 2:3-6.

I repeat it, These are they who gather with Christ what has been scattered, bind up the wounded, and heal the sick, for they are influenced by the Spirit of the Lord and urged by unfeigned love.  They are vigilant, and assiduous in the discharge of entrusted duties.  They fight daily with the weapon of obedience.  They tear down, break and destroy all that which is against the word of God, not by external power, with sword and spear, but by the preaching of the holy word, in power and spirit, with the word of the Lord.  They till, sow, water and plant.  They cut down what is ripe.  They gather their grain and sheaves, and carry them into the Lord’s barn, and their fruits will abide unto eternal life.

Since the Scriptures require such teachers, as mentioned before, it is then indispensable that we weigh the conduct of your preachers in the balance, and determine their actions, by the plummet of the divine word, before your own eyes, that you may discover how much they are wanting in their conduct of the pattern of the true overseers, preachers and pastors, spoken of by Paul to Timothy and Titus, in all their lives and actions; and that they are the very reverse, who, without spirit, word, work or truth, but in semblance only, are so called by the world.

It is manifest, beloved reader, that they have changed the meek office of a true overseer, preacher and pastor, which is an office of christian service, and if rightly attended to, is an office full of labor, poverty, trouble, care, reproach, misery, tribulation, cross and affliction, into ungodly gorgeousness and princely glory, that they may be greatly respected and feared by those whose names are not written in heaven, to this end they appear in splendid robes; are dressed in shining garbs, Rev. 13:8; are called by pompous names, and use in their services crosses, ointments, caps, togas, unclean purifications, and have cloisters, chapels, bells, organs, music, masses, offerings, &c., of which there is not a word to be found in the Scriptures.  Under these splendid trappings may plainly be seen the sly, crouching wolf, the earthly, sensual mind, the anti-christian seductions and bloody abominations; for they seek nothing but the favor of men, honor, splendor, sexual predation, idleness, selfishness, gold, silver, gluttony, &c., and allow themselves to be called spiritual doctors, teachers, lords, abbots, guardians, fathers and priors.

Alas! How vastly do they differ from the prophets and apostles in their office, services, examples, usages, lives, and in all they did; who entered the vineyard of the Lord without purse, without money, or much clothing; who were made a spectacle to the whole world; and for Christ’s sake were killed all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter; as may be seen from the Scriptures.

But these have their chests and coffers full, they are waxed rich through the abundance of the Babylonian sorcery, and have become princes on earth, Rev. 18:15.  In all things they are blamable, violating female chastity, which is carried on to such an unblushing degree that it cannot be expressed; they are unchaste, unmerciful, malicious, scorners, unfriendly, unrighteous, liars, drunkards, and full of inordinate desires.  Their tables are full of uncleanness, as Isaiah the prophet says.  Their hearts are full of avarice, and they are malicious towards those who will not contribute to their support.  They even prepare war against them, as Micah teaches.  They are full of adultery; sit with harlots in their houses; beget children illegitimately.  They are unbelieving, refractory, proud, ambitious; do not obey the word of the Lord; are bound with the cords of the devil, and there are many who have not known the truth, and are a scandal and disgrace to the world.  Their dreadful, abominable fruits make this manifest to all.  They fight against Christ and his word; hate all the pious; speak reproachfully of all those who seek, love, and fear the Lord with all their hearts.  In short, it is impossible to relate all their abominable crimes, lewdness, ungodly deeds, private and public vices, infamy and abominations.

O, dear Lord!  How much more have they become the reverse of the upright and true teachers, overseers and pastors, although this proud generation boast that they can bring Christ down from heaven, reconcile God, forgive sins, and that they are the true pillars, heads and eyes of the church.

Although I have written this especially of the Roman priests, the reader should know that I cannot acquit those in any wise, who boast of the word; for with the exception of adultery and fornication, and a few of the abuses of the bread, which are not found with them, they seek and desire, in the common walks of life, unreasonable gain; they idolize baptism and the Holy Supper, and oppress, backbite and slander the pious, about the same as the others do.

Therefore, I fear all who preach for money, and flatter the world, are the spiritual sorcerers of Egypt, 2 Tim. 3:8, priests of the groves, servants of Baal, and prophets of Jezebel, destroyers of Jehovah’s vineyard, Jer. 12:10, defilers of the land, Jer. 23:11, blind watchmen and dumb dogs, spoilers of the good pastures, they trouble the clear waters, are devourers of souls, Eze. 22:27, false prophets and ravening wolves, devourers of widows’ houses, thieves and murderers, enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things, Phil. 3:18,19, false teachers, founders of sects, cursed children, wandering stars, withered trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; foaming out their own shame, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever, Jude 13; anti-christs, locusts that rose from the bottomless pit, come to hurt those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads, Rev. 9:4.  In short, if they will not repent, they are already condemned according to the Scriptures, Tit. 3:11; Rev. 21:8.

Not that I would judge any one, my good reader, I well know that it is written, Judge not, that you will not be judged; condemn not and you shall not be condemned; but they are judged by him, who says, “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day,” John 12:48.

Whose who do such and similar things, says Paul, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  But if any one shall do the works of which Paul speaks, he will not be judged by me, nor by any other man, but by the word of the Lord.  Therefore we entreat you to measure the conduct of your preachers with the Scriptures, and you will find by whom they are judged.

O, miserable preachers, whose blindness we may well lament; how much better would it be for you never to have been born.  For if you have finished your short, perishable, voluptuous and idle life; and have not repented, as above stated, your portion will be God’s eternal wrath, punishment and judgment in the torments, the pains and burnings of hell; woe and death shall be your end, as the Scriptures threaten, Phil. 3:19.

The reason is because you reject Christ, and despise his word, which is everlasting food for the soul, upon which we must eternally subsist.  You despise his word because it reproves your vain and frivolous conduct, showing that you are indeed sensual; Of the world, and of the devil, as is evident; and that you so miserably deceive poor souls; and so cruelly hate, slander, reproach and betray all those who sincerely seek the salvation of their souls.  You take their property, deprive them of honor, and life.  In great love we admonish, by the word of God, your deceiving teachers, and reprove their ungodly deeds with all discretion, Deu. 8:3; Matt. 4:4.

O, Balaam, Balaam, how long will you so unmercifully kick and cuff the poor ass which has to suffer all the opprobium, scorn, and disgrace, for the sake of his master’s testimony?  And never kindly listen to how he answers you in a human voice, and reproves your great folly and error?  That he is driven by an angel with a naked sword, namely, by the Spirit and word of the Lord, that he can no longer carry (endure) you in your ungodly deeds.

Well now!  Seed of Cain, Korah and Balaam, prepare your defence; lie, cheat, censure, blaspheme, hate, root up, disgrace, and murder as much you can; allege all the councils, authors, and learned teachers who have been [with you] for centuries; appeal to all the lords and princes, emperors, kings and the mighty of the earth.  Use all the power, art and cunning that you can command; it will avail you nothing, the Lamb will conquer and gain the victory, the people of God will triumph, not with tangible weapons, but in patience with the Spirit and Word of God.  Jerusalem and the temple must be built up, although the Azotus and Sanballat may attempt to hinder it, not with inanimate stones, which are now tread upon in every street with your unclean feet, Neh. 4:6; although all the gates of hell may resist, Babel must be destroyed and laid waste.  The ten kings will and must perform their services.  You will gnaw your tongues for pain, bitterly cry and weep on account of the torments of Babel, and say, Alas! alas!  That great city was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!  For in one hour such great riches are come to nought; for her sins rose up to heaven, and the Lord remembered her wickedness, Rev. 18:16.

The gospel will and must be heard; lies must be exposed, and your blind folly made known to all men; although I and my brethren may be called off by death before this takes place, yet it will undoubtedly happen at the appointed time, which the Holy Spirit so plainly foretold and taught through the worthy disciple, John.

O, stiffnecked, and evil generation, how long will you resist the Holy Spirit?  How long will you revile the truth, and prefer lies?  How long will your hands drip with the blood of the innocent?  Reform your wicked lives, fear God with all your hearts, renounce all your glossy, sensual and carnal doctrine, come forward with us, treat us according to the word of God, that the gospel may be rightly preached and maintained by a pious and blameless life.  O, if you would do this, no innocent blood would be shed, and the truth would be made known.

But we are afraid it will be as the prophet said, “The wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand,” Dan. 12:10.  For it is the custom of all the sects, who are out of Christ and his word, to defend their foundations, faith and actions with the sword.  The Romans, the Arians, the Circumcellions, the Lutherans, the Zwinglians, and the Munsterites, are our witnesses; but Christ’s people suffer and forbear.

Is it not a grievous error that these poor people want to be called Christians, and are guilty of such abominable things, such as exterminating, robbing, apprehending, burning, torturing, murdering, &c., under pretences, as if the kingdom of Christ, the glory of the Lord, the word and truth of God, were to be defended and maintained with such horrible disgrace?

Alas, no!  You miserable men, no.  All who are moved by the spirit of Christ know of no sword but the word of the Lord; their weapons are powerful, fervent prayer, a long-suffering and patient heart, strong, immoveable faith, a living hope, and an unblameable life, by which the gospel of the kingdom, the word of peace, is to be promulgated, and to be defended against the gates of hell.

Beloved reader, if you have the fear of God, then learn rightly to know your overseers, prophets, pastors and teachers, and remember what is written, “Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty,” 2 Cor. 6:17,18; and again, “Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you do not receive of her plagues,” Rev. 18:4.  Consider that the mouth of the Lord said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves: you shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Matt. 7:15,16.  They are the salt which has lost its savor, and is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of men, as the Lord says, Matt. 5:13.

In short, they are those of whom Paul warned and said, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power of God; from such turn away,” 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

Again, thus you see that your preachers are such persons as described, and that the Scriptures abundantly admonish and command that we shall forsake them, fear them, avoid and flee from them, &c.  And this is the reason why we openly teach not to hear their seducing doctrines, not to use their sacraments, and to have nothing to do with their false worship.

Rather say, what godliness can Israel bring from Assyria, Egypt, or from Babylon?

How can the true service be found with the priests of Baal?  How can you be taught in divine way to righteousness, by those who are ignorant of it themselves?

How can you learn Christ from anti-christ; and the word of God from false prophets?

How can you be blessed by the cursed, and be rightly led by the blind?  How will you draw water from dry fountains, and gather fruit from withered trees? 2 Pet. 2:17.

How can you be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils?

How can you drink both of the Lord’s cup and the devil’s cup, and be in the communion of Christ and of anti-christ? 2 Cor. l0:21.

You cannot serve two masters who are opposed to each other; you must love the one and hate the other, or else you will hold to the one and despise the other.  You must be for Christ or against him, you will gather with him, or destroy in opposition to him, Matt. 6:24.

Since we, by the grace of God, so plainly see how your preachers are sent, see their doctrine and lives, how they go without being called, falsify the word of God, lead a wanton, sensual life, deceive the poor people; and being so abundantly admonished by the Scriptures that we should forsake, avoid, and shun such preachers, because they are so diametrically opposed to Christ and his word, and we desire to be obedient to the voice of our shepherd in this matter as it becomes all the pious of Christ, for the kingdom is promised to the obedient, as the Scriptures say, “Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father,” Matt. 7:21.

And we also, agreeably to the contents of God’s word, have departed from their doctrine, sacraments and service, and this we testify both by word and deed, with possessions and blood, before lords and princes, in cities and in the country, before you, and the world, as an admonition, doctrine and instruction, so that you all, both teachers and hearers, might awaken, to reflect on the truth, repent and come out from the kingdom and fellowship of anti-christ, and enter the kingdom and communion of Christ; and thus extricate your poor souls from the snares of unbelief, that you may be rescued, preserved and eternally saved.

For we will sooner endure, in our mortal bodies, misery, poverty, tribulation, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, bonds and death, and adhere to the word of the Lord, than lead secure easy lives with the world, and for the sake of a short and temporal life, ruin our souls.

Beloved reader, although we have clearly shown you the difference between true and false preachers, and why we should not hear them, we hope that the god-fearing, who acknowledge the word of the Lord to be true, might fully comprehend this GROUND AND TRUTH; still we find some among those preachers, who partly know that their cause cannot stand the test of the Scripture.

Nevertheless, not being born by God, nor fearing him but seeking unlawful gain, the world and ease, they have garbled a variety of scriptural passages, by which they persuade the simple, and those who dread the cross of Christ, that it is lawful to hear their doctrine and attend their church services, and this they do in order to live at ease and enjoy good times.

In the first place, they say that Christ said, “The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all, therefore, whatsoever they bid you to observe, that observe and do; but do not do after their works,” Matt. 23:3.  From which they conclude that as the Scribes and Pharisees were sitting in the seat of Moses, and mingling leaven with the unleavened lump, of which Christ warned his disciples, saying, all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, they also now sit in Christ’s seat, although they are in their doctrine and lives not upright and free from guilt; that therefore we are to hear them, so far as they preach the word of God, but not to do after their works.

To which we reply: First we ask them whether they and the Pharisees are one or not?  If they answer yes, they must then be their own judges, and decide that they are of those who crucified Christ, stoned Stephen, beat the apostles, persecuted the saints, and they are of those who are threatened with eternal woe; they may well then be afraid and fear the Lord and his judgments.  If they answer no, then they can prove nothing with this passage.

Secondly, we reply: If they adduce this passage, quasi argumentum assimili, i.e. as it were an argument of similitude, and remark that to sit in Moses’ seat, is to rightly preach and attend to Moses’ law with its ceremonies.  This the Scribes and Pharisees did; they left the law and ceremonies entire and altered nothing in it, although they practiced much superstition with it, as may be seen from Matt. 15:3.  For had they altered the law and ceremony, they would not have been sitting in Moses’ seat.

But even as the Scribes and Pharisees did sit in Moses’ seat, these will then also have to show that they sit in Christ’s seat; they must prove that they preach Christ’s gospel, baptism, supper, separation; preach and practice all things correctly, or the argumentum assimili cannot stand.  If this is the case, we may then ask counsel of the Scriptures; why do they allow the traditions of men to be added to this?  But we well know that the Scriptures are silent on this subject.

————————————

[CHCoG: Menno is too kind to the Pharisees, as Mat 15:3 clearly shows:  “He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?”  They did not merely add some superstition, but actually undermined God’s Law, as shown throughout Mat 15:1-9 & Mar 7:3-13.  Christ’s advice to his followers was clearly limited to only observing the things that the Pharisees taught which were indeed biblical.]

————————————

Thirdly, we reply: So long as the Scribes and Pharisees were sitting in Moses’ seat, and practiced the ceremonies and taught the law which pointed to Christ, as before related; so long did Christ direct his disciples and the people, at that time, to them; for the law was not fully accomplished; the perfect sacrifice, which was to abolish all typical sacrifices, was not yet offered; the veil of the temple was not yet rent, the figures and shadows were not yet changed into the new and abiding reality.  After it had all been accomplished according to the Scriptures, and all things made new in Christ, he did not then send out the Scribes and Pharisees with Moses’ law, but his disciples with his own doctrine; and said, “Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15, “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,” Matt. 28:20.

Since then all things are new in and through Christ; and as the people of Moses were directed to his preachers, by Christ before his death, to those who sat in Moses’ seat and rightly taught the law and ceremonies; in like manner, in the new Testament, after the death of Christ, we are directed to those preachers who sit in Christ’s seat, teaching his words unblamably, and using his sacraments as the Scriptures teach.

————————————

Also to the learned, to the common people, to sects and to the bride of Christ, that it be not a little scorched by the heat of the sun every where.

We have shown you in the preface, faithful reader, why we published our writings, to wit: on account of the abominable deceptions, and the manifold dangers at this time, for there are to be found so many schisms, communities, churches and sects, who are all called after the name of the Lord; such as Romans or papists, Lutherans, Zwinglians, erring sects, and the Christians who are upbraided as Anabaptists.  Even as in former times among the Jews, were the Chasidim, Zadikin, Essenes, Sadducees, Pharisees, &c., which sacred and profane history mention.  Each boasts to be the Church of Christ, and to have the word of the Lord, although the greater part of them not only live inconsistently with the Spirit, word and example of Christ, but they very enviously upbraid and slander, and are inimically opposed to it; and it is just as it was in the beginning, that the pious every where have to suffer much from the impious; as Abel had to suffer from Cain; Isaac from Ishmael; Jacob from Esau, &c., although created by the same God, by nature have one common origin, boast all of one Christ; and in the day of judgment, find the same judge.  Anti-Christ rules through hypocrisy and lies, with power and sword; but Christ reigns patiently with his word and spirit.  He uses no other sword nor sabre.  O, man!  Man!  Look upon the irrational savage creatures, and learn wisdom.  Roaring lions, frightful bears, and all devouring wolves agree among themselves with their respective species; but you, poor, helpless worms; you, who are created after God’s own image, and are called rational beings, born without tusks, claws and horns, born with an unsound, feeble nature, senseless, speechless and powerless, yes, neither able to walk nor stand, and have to depend entirely upon maternal aid, which teaches you that you are to be peaceable and not contentious; but when you attain your understanding and manhood, you are so very unsettled, tyrannical, revengeful, blood-thirsty and unmerciful, so much so that it cannot be fully conceived, related or described.  Your open works bear testimony to this, notwithstanding, you boast yourselves to be Christians.  O, no!  My faithful reader, no! Christ teaches, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you,” John 14:27.  Paul says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body, and be thankful,” Col. 3:15.  Again, “The Son of man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them,” Luke 9:56.

Since there are so many of you who treat the children of God so inhumanly, as we see, we have compiled a summary of our acts, principles, faith and doctrine, from the word of God, and have published them; so that every slanderous evil speaker and bloody persecutor, may from them learn what our undertaking properly is, what we seek and do, and upon what ground the city of God must be built, and which of all the aforementioned congregations or churches is the right and true church of Christ.  Even as there was but one Adam and one Eve; one Noah and one ark, one Isaac and one Rebecca, so there is but one church of Christ, which is the body, the city, the temple, the house and bride of Christ, having but one gospel, one faith, one baptism, one supper, and one service; walking in the same way and leading a pious, unblameable life, as the Scriptures teach.

All who do not have the pure, uncorrupted word of God, the true, living faith, with the Lord’s holy baptism and Supper, in power and Spirit, and who walk the broad road of the flesh, are not the community and church of Christ.  Here neither name nor boasting avails; we must be in Christ, and Christ in us; we must be moved by his Spirit, and in every respect abide in his holy word, otherwise we have not God.

[Most of] the children of Israel were not saved, although they were of the seed of Abraham, because they did not walk in the way of Abraham.  Much less will we, though we are called after the name of Christ, if we do not seek his promise with all our souls, and do not sincerely hear and follow, and be obedient to his holy will.

Since it is well known to all the pious that we and our forefathers, for many centuries, were under the heavy burden, and in the service of Egypt, deceived by the false prophets, never heard the book of the law, the holy city and temple lay waste, and were under the tyranny and dominion of Babylon, as heard above.  The merciful Father had compassion on the pressing misery and tribulation of his people, and raised up to us the true Moses, Zerubbabel, Christ Jesus, through his word and Spirit; now then, it becomes you, O, you highly renowned lords and princes, since you and we boast of the same Christ, gospel, redemption and kingdom, that you no longer obstruct by your mandates and powers, the journeying of the people of God to the everlasting promised land; but you should favor them more, and prosper their journey by your gracious permission; that you may hear and read with the venerable and pious Josiah, with a broken, meek heart, in the true fear of God, the lost book of the law of Christ, which has been lost for a long time.  Rend your hearts and not your garments; for you are not only led off from the true path, but you are so much bewitched by the man of sin that you persecute the innocent, pious hearts, who in no way injure you or any one upon earth.

That you would, with king Cyrus, release the poor captive children from the land of Chaldea, who cry and weep at the rivers of Babylon, that they may again possess the spiritual land of Canaan, and build up the spiritual Jerusalem, the altar and the temple in their ancient city, and establish the spiritual priesthood, and practice the spiritual offering and divine service according to the instructions of the word of God, that they may no longer hear and observe the Babylonian laws, namely, the teachings of men and their commandments; but the law of Israel, God’s word and righteousness.  Some of you, though alas, so few! are so far taught, through the grace and word of God that I trust you know that neither usages nor councils, neither learning nor sword, nor mandate, can bend or break the word of the Most High, the word of truth, the word of the heavenly witness, the gospel of the kingdom, for no other foundation can be laid to all eternity, than what is laid, which is Christ Jesus, 1 Cor. 3:11.

Therefore, wisdom cries, “Turn at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words to you,” Prov. 1:23.

Love righteousness, you rulers of the land.  “Be wise, now, therefore, O, you kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth, serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with trembling,” Psm. 2:10,11 for the king that honors wisdom shall rule forever.

Do, therefore, with a meek heart, and in the fear of God, examine these our faithful instructions, and judge by the Spirit and word of Christ, as much as it is in you; compare them with the doctrine and lives of the apostles, with the piety, love, customs, actions, misery, cross and sufferings of the primitive church.  I hope, by the grace of God, you may plainly comprehend that our doctrine is the infallible doctrine and ground of the Scriptures.  Read this: OUR FOUNDATION, together with other books, appended to this, viz: the book concerning faith and its power; concerning regeneration or the new creature; of the cross, sufferings and persecution of the saints; of excommunication, ban or exclusion, and other tracts, published from time to time, and you will then find, by the grace of God, that this doctrine is the pure gospel, which the Lord taught by his own mouth, and which his holy apostles preached through the whole world, and by the power of the Spirit testified to this with life and death.  Ours is no new doctrine, as the preachers without truth, pretend and persuade you; but it is the old doctrine, which was preached and practiced in the church for more than fifteen hundred years, by which the church was, is, and shall be borne, till the end.

O, you highly renown lords and princes, turn to the truth of God, and receive reproof, and wisdom; for through wisdom, kings reign, and princes decree justice; observe how far your spirit, faith and lives differ from the Lord’s Spirit, word and life.

Do you think, dear sirs, that you are born to live merely in splendor and magnificence, and to lead a vain, sensual life?  That you may freely continue in your licentious and pernicious lusts, and still be Christians?  O, no, “If any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his;” Rom. 8:9.

Solomon says, “As a roaring lion, and a raging bear; so is wicked ruler over the poor people.  The prince that lacks understanding is also a great oppressor,” Prov. 28:15.  The poet also well knew this, when he says, Quic quid delirant reges, plectantur Achivi, i.e., The mischief which kings do, the common people have to pay or atone for; but a wise king disperses the ungodly.

Therefore, beloved sirs, see well to it; this is that to which you are called, namely: that you are to chastise and punish, in the true fear of God, with all equitable and just discretion, the open evil doers; such as thieves, murderers, sodomites, adulterers, debauchers, menslayers, the violent, fornicators, sorcerers, robbers, &c., that you give each his portion, execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, that you are to prevent, by proper means (understand without tyranny and bloodshed), open deceivers, who so miserably lead poor, helpless souls, by hundreds of thousands into destruction, whether they are priests, monks, preachers, baptized or unbaptized; so that they will no longer derogate from the almighty majesty of God, our only and eternal Savior; Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, together with the word of grace; nor introduce those ridiculous abuses and idolatry, under semblance of truth, as has been done to this time; and by this means, in all love and earnestness, enlarge, assist and protect, without violence, blood or sword, the kingdom of God, by your gracious permission, wise counsel, and pious, unblameable life.

Behold, beloved lords, this is your calling and your incumbent duty; do not domineer so maliciously over the children of God and his word, as alas, many of you evidently do, and as it is customary.

Such rulers were Moses, Joshua, David, Hezekiah, Josaphat, Josiah, Zerubbabel, &c., they faithfully discharged their enjoined duties, conformed to the word of God, protected their subjects with solicitous concern, obeyed the commands of the Lord, abolished the false prophets and the priests of Baal, with their altars, groves and idolatry, and faithfully kept their people and country, to observe the ordinances of Jehovah, his laws and divine service as commanded by Moses; they feared God, and had the book of the law to which they conformed, and by which they judged the people; and always remembered their Lord Jehovah, who set them over his people as potentates and rulers.

They feared God with all their hearts, praised his name, and humbled themselves with all their strength, as David did, when he was girded with a linen ephod, and danced before the ark of the Lord, yes that he was even despised of his wife Michal; but he said, “It was before Jehovah, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel.  Therefore I will rejoice before Jehovah.” 2 Sam. 6:21.

O, you highly renowned, noble lords, believe Christ’s word, fear the wrath of God, love righteousness, do justice to widows and orphans, judge rightly between man and man, fear no man’s highness; despise no man’s littleness, hate all avarice, chastise with discretion, allow the word of God to be taught in liberty, prevent none to walk in the ways of truth; yield to his sceptre who called you to this high charge, and your throne shall be established for ever.

Now as the sceptre of Christ is an upright sceptre, and teaches, judges and corrects every one, without respect to person, I, a poor and unlearned being must lay aside my diffidence, and grow bold in love, by which I would desire to save your poor souls, and with Samuel reprove Saul, with Ahijah reprimand Jeroboam, with Elijah chide Ahab, with Isaiah reprehend Hezekiah, with Nathan and Gad rebuke David for their misdeeds and transgressions, and thus proclaim my Lord’s Spirit, word and will.  Who knows but there might be some one that will regard the fidelity and love of his poor minister; hear his well meaning voice and Christian exhortation, and depart from an ungodly and evil way; thus some of the aforementioned kings heard the reproving word from the mouths of the prophets with fear, and reformed, and meekly received the word.

And were it even so, that my faithful service and love should be rewarded with death, as I have reason to suspect it may happen, because haughty and proud flesh is unwilling to be reproved, but uses at all times its evil nature, however, nothing worse can happen me than did to the pious Isaiah by Manasseh; Zechariah by Joaz; Urijah by Jehoiakim, Abimelech and other priests of Saul; John by Herod; Christ by Pilate and by the Scribes; and as it happened to all the apostles and pious witnesses by the whole world.

I do not esteem my life to be better and dearer than the beloved men of God did their lives: I can only be deprived of perishable and mortal flesh, which must once die, and return to dust, though I should live to be as old as Methuselah.  Not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my heavenly father; if I lose my life for the sake of Christ and his testimony, and on account of my sincere love for my neighbor, I certainly know that I will save it in eternal life, therefore, I cannot conceal the truth; but I must testify and reveal it without hypocrisy in the true fear of God, to my beloved lords.

Beloved, noble lords, learn rightly to know yourselves, from where you are, what you are, and what you will be.  All of you, one as well as another, be he emperor or king, are from the same seed that we poor and unregarded are, and you came into this sorrowful world as we did, and you are no more than vapor, frail flesh, a withering flower, dust and ashes, as we all are.  Today you are kings and triumph in great and high honor, tomorrow you are laid low, and must be food for serpents and worms.

O, Sirs, my beloved sirs, humble yourselves; righteous is he who will examine your case, and mighty is he who will pass judgment upon you; his name is [Jehovah,] the RULING LORD; he is the Almighty, the holy, the terrible, the high, adorable and omnipotent God, who created heaven and earth, and who has in the hands of his strength all majesty, power and dominion.  Learn to know him; learn to fear him.  Awaken, look out, the time is not far off, when you will hear, “Give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward,” Luke 16:2.

Therefore, do not hear those who seek fat prebends and a lazy life, they deceive you, they teach you according to the lust of your hearts; they flatter you for the sake of unlawful gain, they preach to you wanton deception according to their own opinion, and not out of the mouth of the Lord; they fatten their bodies, and have fine times, from the fatness of your poor souls (beloved sirs, understand rightly what I mean), although they boast much of the gospel.  Hear those who are not like the wind-shaken reed, those, who with John and Elijah, are not so much frightened by the wilderness of misery, who suffer daily for the truth’s sake, love gold and wood alike, who esteem all things alike, both praise and reproach, riches and poverty, life and death, who seek only the honor of Christ, and the salvation of their beloved brethren, and preach nothing but the pure, unmixed word of God, and seal it, with spirit, power and work, as it is commanded by Christ, and as it is proclaimed and taught through the whole world by his holy apostles.

I repeat it, do not listen to, do not follow, and do not believe the multitude of the learned, who allow themselves to be called doctors, lords and masters, for they are sensual and blood-thirsty; instead seek and follow the faithful in Christ, who are called the curse and filth of the earth, among these you will find Christ’s Spirit, truth, power, works and life.  You will also, through the grace of God, find how far you and your spirit, faith, baptism, supper, conduct, church and actions are outside of Christ’s Spirit, doctrine, commands, prohibition, ordinance and usage.

Say, O, you kings and rulers of the land, Where is your faith and love, with their pious nature?  Where is the fear of your God?  Your lamp and light?  Your humble heart, dead unto sin?  And your unblameable, godly life, which has come from God?  Is it not all world and carnality which you seek and follow?  We generally find in your houses and courts nothing but extravagance, pomp and showy clothing, hardness and presumptuousness of heart, insatiable avarice, hatred, envy, backbiting, betraying, whoredom, debauchery, gambling, gaming, eating, drinking, dancing, swearing, stabbing, housebreaking, &c.  This is your chivalric custom and court conduct during the whole course of your lives; and you never once reflect on the misery, tribulation, humility, love and righteousness in which the Lord of lords, and King of kings, lived before you, what he taught the children of men, and what pattern or example he left for them; the affliction and misery of the wretched do not reach your ears; the sweat of the poor we find on your houses, and the innocent blood on your hands; you receive gifts and presents to pervert judgment, and you take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed.  The prophets of Jezebel, and the priests of Baal [the Lord], sensualists and flatterers, are much respected with you, they sit upon soft cushions, and live well.  But those who, with Micah, preach to you adversity and truth must expect imprisonment, bonds, and death, and are [as it appears] deserving of all disgrace; yes, it has come so far (may God make it better) that where four or five, ten or twenty have met in the name of the Lord, to speak of the word of the Lord, and to do his work, in whose midst Christ is, who fear the Lord with all their heart, and lead an unblameable life before all the world, that if they be apprehended, and a complaint is brought against them, they must then be devoured by fire, or be destroyed by the sword, or sink into the depths of the waters.

But they who meet in the name of Baal, a meeting of all manner of mischief, who far exceed Sodom and Gomorrah in wickedness, where all manner of perverse things are carried on between man and man; and between woman and woman; as it is in Spain, in Italy, and in the cloisters, in public brothel-houses, theatres, fencing schools, and the accursed drunken taverns, where many live in open disgrace, and act so shamefully against God’s word.  Such live unmolested and at peace.

I do not mention the public assemblies of all manner of idolatry, where the most high, blessed and precious name of Jehovah God is so miserably blasphemed, the blood of Christ despised, the Holy Spirit grieved, the truth disgraced, lies commended, and poor souls deceived.  The blind, ignorant people are not only directed to the holy water, bread, wine and the mass, but also to the dumb idols of wood and stone, as alas! it may be so extensively witnessed.

O, my beloved lords, what are you doing?  Where is the sword of righteousness which was given to you, of which you boast?  You have to acknowledge that you leave it in the scabbard, and in its stead you have drawn the sword of unrighteousness.  Yes, beloved sirs, things are so (may God better it), that the prophets write and call with propriety, “Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loves gifts, and follows after rewards; they do not judge for the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come unto them; therefore says Lord Jehovah of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah! I will relieve myself of my adversaries, and take vengeance on my enemies,” Isa. 1:23, 24.

“Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.  In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the immigrant; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow.  You have despised My sanctified things and defiled My Sabbaths.”  They are like the devouring wolves to shed blood and destroy souls for the sake of their avarice: “In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbours by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says Lord Jehovah.  “Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.” Eze. 22:6-8, 12-13.

“Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds1  When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.  And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away; so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.  Therefore, thus says Jehovah; behold against this family do I devise an evil, from which you shall not remove your necks; neither shall you go haughtily; for this time is evil,” Micah 2:1-3.

“Hear now, O, heads of Jacob, and you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?  You who hate good and love evil; who strip the skin from My people, and the flesh from their bones; who also eat the flesh of My people, flay their skin from them, break their bones, and chop them in pieces like meat for the pot, like flesh in the caldron.”  Then they will cry to Jehovah, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds. Micah 3:1-4.

“Woe to her who is rebellious and desecrated, to the oppressing city!  She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in Jehovah, she has not drawn near to her God.  Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone until morning.  Her prophets are reckless, treacherous people; her priests have defiled the sanctuary, they have done violence to the Instructions.

“Jehovah is righteous, he is in her midst, he will do no unrighteousness.  Every morning He brings His judgements to light.  He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.  “I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by.  Their cities are destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant.” Zeph. 3:1-6.

There are but few of you, I fear there is scarcely one, who seeks the Lord with all his heart, fears, loves, and serves him; therefore, will also the fury of God be poured out upon you like water, and the sword of his wrath will come upon you, as may be seen daily in many places.  May God better it.

The wise man says, “Power is given to you by the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works and search out your counsels; because being ministers of his kingdom, you have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God; horribly and speedily shall he come upon you; for a sharp judgment shall be to them that are in high places.  For mercy will soon pardon the meanest; but mighty men shall be mightily tormented.  For he who is Lord over all shall fear no man’s person, neither shall he stand in awe of any man’s greatness; for he has made the small and great, and cares for all alike.  But a sore trial shall come upon the mighty,” Wis. 6:38.

Therefore, beloved lords, take heed that you rightly execute your responsible and dangerous office according to the will of God; for, alas! I fear that many of you, as yet, have paid but little attention to this matter, and hence it is that anti-christ, rises up with his wickedness, and Christ is rejected with his righteousness; lay to heart what is written, “Keep far from you a false matter; and do not slay the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked,” says Jehovah, Exo. 23:7.

Here I well know that we have to hear of Munster, dominions, polygamy, sword, theft, murder and of similar abominations and disgrace, which, you always assert, result from baptism; and under this pretext you reprove every thing the mouth of the Lord commanded, and what the holy apostles taught and practiced, and for this purpose you cite some seditious sects and factions that the cry of the learned and your blood-shedding may be sanctioned.

No, my beloved sirs, it will not acquit you in the day of the righteousness of God.  I tell you the truth in Christ; notice the rightly baptized disciples of Christ, who are baptized inwardly with Spirit and fire, and externally with water, who are baptized according to the word of God; know of no weapons other than patience, hope, quiet, and God’s word.  Paul says, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Cor. 10:4,5.  Our weapons are not weapons with which cities and countries are desolated; walls and gates broken down and human blood shed in torrents like water, but they are weapons with which the spiritual kingdom of the devil is destroyed, and the ungodly passions are annihilated, and the flinty hearts are broken that have never been sprinkled with the heavenly dew of the holy word.  We have and know no other weapons besides, the Lord knows, even if we should be torn into a thousand pieces, and as many false witnesses were to rise against us as there are spears of grass in the fields and grains of sand upon the sea shore.

Again, Christ is our fortress; patience is our defence; the word of God is our sword; and our victory is a candid, firm, unfeigned faith in Jesus Christ.  We let those [who] take spears find swords, who, alas, regard human blood and swine’s blood alike.  He that is wise, let him judge what I mean.

We acknowledge, beloved sirs, that some of the false prophets were baptized externally in appearance with us, with the same baptism; even as thieves, murderers, highway robbers, sorcerers and similar, were baptized with you; but they were not of us, for had they been of us, as John says, they would no doubt have continued with us.

Christ says, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect; behold, I have told you before,” Matt. 24:24.

This warning of Christ was not given to the ungodly, obdurate despisers, for they are already entangled in the snares of unrighteousness, but is given to the contrite of heart and to the willing souls, so that they may learn to know the Spirit, and not allow themselves to be led into error; “For the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.

The craftiness and artifice of the devil, who assumes the appearance of an angel of light, are not perceived by some, therefore, so many have stumbled and erred, and were led into crooked paths by the deceivers; but this was not through baptism; for the elementary water can neither teach nor pervert, but it was done through false prophets, of which, I say, we have been so faithfully warned by the mouth of the Lord.

Beloved sirs, fear God, judge rightly; the truth of God can never be changed into seduction and error, through the lies of the devil.  O, no!  The word of our God shall stand forever.

Should the devout angels be unjustly judged, for the sake of Lucifer’s arrogance and be punished with his punishment?  Or should all the apostles be [condemned as] traitors, because of Judas?  By no means.  Every one shall bear his own burden.  “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.  The soul that sins, it shall die,” Eze. 18:20.

Should we reproach the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, because the father of lies has resuscitated, in the name of Christ, the practice of circumcision as essential to salvation?  Or that the dead will not rise in the day of judgment?  Or that Philetus and Hymenius asserted that the resurrection of the dead has already taken place?  Or that some pretended that the great day of the Lord was at hand?

How could the apostle help it, that the Nicolaitans had their wives in common, as Eusebius relates?  Or that the Ebionites denied the deity of Christ, and taught that Christ began only to exist in Mary?  And that [some] Corinthians maintained that the world was created by angels; that Christ was no more than a mere man, and had not yet risen, but shall rise with us in future, and that he would reign one thousand years in the flesh with his saints?

————————————

[CHCoG: And in what is above, we have a mix of lies and truth.  Beyond dispute, the Bible teaches that the universe was made by Jehovah God and His Son Jesus, working through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  And as a direct consequence of this, it is clear that Jesus’ soul and spirit originated long before Mary, though part of his DNA certainly did come from her egg.  The male portion of his DNA was uniquely created for Jeshua, who had been truly begotten by Jehovah, his Father (Isa 7:14, Heb 10:5).  This made Jeshua a new and independent Adam (1 Cor 15:45), while the part of his body that came from Mary made him also a descendant of Adam, Abraham and David (Luke 3:38, Gal 3:16, Mat 1:1, 1 Chr 17:11-14) and also the prophesied seed of the woman (Gen 3:15).  This is confirmed in the Aramaic manuscripts of Matthew, which tell us that the genetic line of Mary is descended from King David, because the last mentioned Joseph is not her husband, but her father.  In contrast, Luke lists the genetic line of her husband Joseph, which differs after David.  Mary is descended from King Solomon, while her husband is descended from Nathan.

Herewith I will leave all the lords and princes, with all the magistracy and rulers, and those sent by them, in the hands of the Lord, and address myself to you, O, you learned, you who think that you have the keys of heaven, and are the eyes and the light of the people; I will speak with you, as with those whose salvation I seek with all my heart, because I see with open eyes that both you and your disciples run voluntarily into the eternal destruction of your souls, and nevertheless boast that you are the sent teachers, and your churches are the churches of Christ, and I would cordially and brotherly admonish you, one and all, Romans, Lutherans and Zwinglians, concerning the following articles.

That you would notice, in the first place, that your ministry and services are not from God and his word, but are from the bottomless pit, for it is evident that you blaspheme and persecute [or pervert] the word, ordinances and commands of Christ, and teach and enforce the word, ordinances and commands of anti-christ; that you profane the temple of God, build and honor temples of stone, break the living images in which the Spirit of God dwells; make and dress images of gold, silver and wood; that you hate a pious, blameless life; encourage and defend, by your dissolute examples, a disorderly, passionate life of the flesh.  Say, my beloved, Where is there a single letter in the Scriptures concerning all your doings and worship, such as of masses, infant baptism, auricular confession, &c.?  Is not, in truth, the greater part of what you do and transact, all deception, hypocrisy, blasphemy, abomination and idolatry?  From where do you derive your offices and services, and from whom are they?  I would advise you, in true love, that you would reflect upon them according to the Scriptures, and in the true fear of God.

Secondly, consider what you are properly seeking through this, your office and service: You and I, up to this time, stood in the same calling, office and service.  I candidly confess that in all my studies from my youth, in preaching and singing, I sought only a vain, lazy, good living, praise and favor of men, yes, solely the gratification of my carnal desires, till the gracious and great Lord bestowed me upon the gift of his gracious Spirit, and opened the understanding of my heart, that I acknowledged with the preacher Solomon that all my seeking, life and doings were vanity, and that the end of it was certain death and hell.

But that you continue so to seek is too palpable to be denied.  For if there were no prebends and cloisters, but few preachers, priests and monks would be found.  This I certainly know.  So long as these exist, the world shall never be in want of deceivers and hypocrites.

Say, beloved, what else is your whole seeking and doing, than worldly carnality, gluttony, and a voluptuous life?  Who can scrutinize and fully describe your earthly mind and sensual life?  Some of you make an ostentatious display in ermine, in silk and velvet, others live in full revelry, others are avaricious and hoard; some violate virgins and maids, others pollute the bed of their neighbor, others’ chastity is like the chastity of Sodom; all your doctrine is deceiving, your sacraments are enchanting, your piety is principally ungodliness, and your divine service is an open abomination and idolatry.  Some of you neither fear God nor the devil; you blaspheme the name of God, you falsify his holy word, his children and servants you persecute, and, in reliance upon his grace, you do all manner of evil; if you can only lead a life free from care, and enjoy fine times, then all is well done.  Say, beloved, is it not so?  Worthy men, is it not so?  This is your chief seeking and striving, among great and small, this you must acknowledge and confess; for the fruit is manifest to all the world, and it cannot be any longer concealed.

O, men, men!  Beware!  If any one could enter into life on this broad way which you teach, and in which you walk, and keep his soul in God, we might truly lament and say that the prophets, apostles, and all the witnesses of God, and also Christ Jesus himself, did not act wisely, and that they have not dealt rightly towards us, that they passed their lives with so much anguish, suffering, tribulation and pain in this sorrowful vale of tears, and directed us miserable, weak children into such a way.

O, no, my beloved, no; truth will eternally be truth; if you are not converted to a better and christian mind; if you do not die to your deception, and also to your vain, carnal life, repent, and become in your dispositions like innocent little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, “For to be carnally minded,” says Paul, “is death.” Rom. 8:6

Teach, call, hope, boast in any way you choose, if you desire to be saved, you must walk in the ways of the Lord, hear his word, and be obedient to this; for nothing avails in heaven and upon earth, by which you can be saved, neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper, neither eloquence nor erudition, neither councils nor long standing usages, neither emperors nor edicts, neither Christ with his grace, merits, blood and death, if we are not born by God (understand it right, those who have ears to hear, and minds to understand).  Believe his word sincerely, walk in the light, and do right, as John says, “This, then, is the message which we have heard from him, and declare unto you that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:5-7.

O, transgressors, transgressors, examine your hearts, give heed to my words and learn wisdom, you who live in voluptuousness and sit at ease, who say in your hearts, It is we, besides us there is none other; what we command shall be heard, and what we speak must be valid upon earth; we cannot go astray in the Scriptures, and in counsel we cannot err, and we can teach nothing unlawful.  Ah! alas! your boasted wisdom leads you astray, and the pride of your hearts causes you to stumble; return, your path is slippery, and your way leads to the abyss of hell.

Give ear, you people; you who trust in lies, and boast that you are Christians; tear your bands asunder, and allow yourselves to be led no longer as asses bound and under a heavy burden of sin, by these aforementioned drivers, for they deceive you; they preach to you according to their own opinion, and not out of the mouth of the Lord; they comfort you in your wicked ways; they call and cry only mercy and peace, though it is displeasure and judgment, as the prophet says.  The priests and prophets teach a false worship, and comfort my people in their calamity; that they shall esteem it lightly, saying, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace;” Jeremiah 8:11.

They are the blind leaders, who lead you and themselves into the pit, and the blind watchmen who do not watch over the city of God.  Thieves and murderers, who slay your poor souls with the sword of their false doctrine, and steal from you the word and kingdom of the Lord; greedy shepherds who seek your wool, milk and flesh, and not [what is good for] your souls.  In short, they are those who wholly desolate the kingdom of Christ, and promulgate in high honor the kingdom of anti-christ through the whole world, and who always comfort and defend you, poor children, in your dissolute abominations, your obdurate, blind life, so that alas!  There is none who is sincerely converted to the Lord, laments his sins, and says, What do I do?

O, worthy children and brethren, my heart quakes in my body and fears, when I reflect that such a numberless multitude of men are born in vain and to no purpose; who will have to endure the wrath and judgment of the Lord, if they do not repent, and shall never find grace.

Beloved children, take heed, for thus Christ Jesus teaches you, I tell you truly, “Except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven,” Matt. 18:3.  O, dear Lord, this is spoken by God’s eternal truth, which cannot lie, and how ungodly you ignorant people live, and how far you are from the innocence of children, your fruits testify; for you despise God and his word; you hate all righteousness and truth, many of you live as the irrational creatures, others quarrel, curse, swear, are covetous, practice usury, lie, cheat, injure and defraud one another; fidelity and piety are seldom found among you, faithlessness, and knavery, alas, every where; eating to excess, gambling, gaming, drinking and carousing are pastimes amongst you; to pollute women and defile virgins is called courting and loving.  To take advantage of and defraud one another, is called understanding and wisdom; you are valiant at beer, and mighty at wine; unrighteousness and destruction are in all your ways, the poor and weak you oppress, and you revile the afflicted, the god-fearing and pious; you think and practice nothing but evil, you are without understanding, says the prophet, Rom. 1:28-32 as a frantic heifer.  Pomp and splendor you call the fashion and custom of the country.  The one lies in wait for the other’s honor, property, and life, and seeks his destruction.  As the prophet says, your faith is hypocrisy, your worship idolatry, your whole life is world and flesh, as may be seen, and then you say, he that walks in simplicity, walks right, as if ignorance, blindness, despising the truth and godliness, were a pious, humble and plain life.  Dear children, be ashamed of your offensive wantonness and accursed folly.

Do you suppose that Christ is a liar, and his word a fable?  O, no! His sentence stands immovable, and shall never be altered; if you live in pride, avarice, voluptuousness, unchastity and in carnal lusts, do not believe Christ and his word, continue to be earthly-minded, and are not born by God, you must die eternally, or the Spirit of God is not true, but false.

Say, beloved, why [do you] extol the apostles and prophets, while you revile their doctrine as heresy, and their lives as madness?  Why allow yourselves to be called christians, while you hate and oppose Christ’s word and example?

You say we are without understanding, untaught, and do not know the Scriptures?  I then again reply: The word is plain and needs no comment, namely, “You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself,” Matt. 22:37, 39.  Again, You shall give bread to the hungry and entertain the needy, Isa. 58:7.

If you live according to the flesh, you shall die; for, to be carnally minded is death; the avaricious, drunkards, and the proud, shall not inherit the kingdom of God; for he will judge adulterers and fornicators, Rom. 8; 1 Cor. 6, and many like passages.  All who do not understand such passages, we must confess and acknowledge; are more like irrational creatures then men, more like blocks than christians.

O, my children, my beloved children, do not deceive your own souls; seek wisdom and understanding, even as you do your daily food, that you may find great riches; for the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.  Strive, says Christ, to enter in at the strait gate; ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. Matt. 7:7-23.  The Almighty, great God is not satisfied with a bare name, but he desires a true, sincere faith, unfeigned, ardent love, a new, converted heart, true humility, mercy, chastity, patience, righteousness and peace; he desires the whole man, heart, professions and actions.  He who delights in the word of the Lord, speaks the truth from the heart, crucifies his flesh, and will give his goods and blood for the word of the Lord, if it is required.

Behold, dear children, this is the way in which we will all have to walk, if we desire to be saved; therefore, awaken and learn wisdom.  Hear the inviting voice of God, open unto him, and meet him, that he does not complain of you, as he did formerly through his prophets, of obdurate and stiff-necked Judea and Jerusalem.  “I have nourished,” says he, “and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me; the ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.  Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children that are corrupters!  They have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they have turned away backwards,” Isa. 1:2-4.

Jeremiah says, “Every one turned to his course, as the horse rushes into the battle; yes, the stork in the heaven knows her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane, and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people do not know the judgment of Jehovah,” Jer. 8:6,7.

Remember, dear children, how greatly Jesus Christ took to heart the obstinacy and blindness of the Jews when he said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not,” he wept and said, “If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong unto your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes,” Luke 19:42.

“Therefore put away from you all abominations and the multitude of evils, and accept in humility the Word which is planted in our nature, which is able to save your souls,” James 1:21.  Seek God with a full heart, repent sincerely, cleanse yourselves inwardly before the Lord, let go [of the] world, flesh, false doctrine, and every thing contrary to the honor, will, and word of God; hear, believe and follow Jesus Christ, the only and true shepherd of your souls, who sought you in such great love, and purchased you with such a precious price.  Then you may, in truth, boast that you are the people of God, and the church of Christ.  To him, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, be praise and the eternal kingdom, Amen.

═════════════════

Christ said, “False christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.  But take heed, behold, I have foretold you all things,” Mark 13:22,23.  O, you backsliding, erring children!  Mind, had you taken to heart this faithful warning of our Lord and Savior, Christ; had you acknowledged his Spirit, doctrine, and holy life in a perfect Spirit, doctrine and life, and acknowledged him as the true Prophet, promised in Scripture; and had you received him as the true and living Son of God; you would never have been led so far from his ways, nor would such frightful errors have taken place.  But, O Lord!  I fear that some of you are so far enchanted that you will nevermore come to Christ, the true Shepherd; for you, through a perverted and obscure understanding of the Scriptures, defend, as just and right, the abominable works of ungodliness, which are not only contrary to the Spirit, word and will of Christ, but also contrary to reasonable modesty, nature, and reason.

Is it not a grievous error that you allow yourselves to be so sorely bewitched by such worthless persons, and so lamentably misled from one unclean sect to another; first to that of Munster, next to Battenberg, now Davidists; from Beelzebub to Lucifer, and from Belial to Leviathan?  Ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the real truth.  You allow yourselves to be led about by every wind of doctrine.  You choose out a way for yourselves; as do also the priests and monks; you do not hold to the head, Christ, from which all the body, fitly joined together, comes unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

I fear that your sins will be punished; for you are earthly, and carnal minded, by which you thrust from you the pure knowledge of Christ, and hate his cross; and against all admonition of Scriptures, against the undeceiving example of Christ and his saints, you conform yourselves in the splendor, pomp, eating, drinking, folly, hypocrisy, and false worship of this proud, useless, vain and idolatrous world, which you should, by right, instruct and admonish by a pious, humble, sober, and godly walk.

O, you backsliding children!  Consider how grievously you disgrace the holy Moses, who teaches and speaks to you out of the mouth of God.  He says, “I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brethren, like unto you, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.  And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not listen unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him,” Deut.18:18,19.  This is repeated by Peter and Stephen in Acts 3:23 and 7:37.

What do you do with all the great prophets of God, such as David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who, in so many places, with such plain words, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, direct us to Christ and his word?  They must either testify to lies, or your prophets must be deceivers and false teachers.  This is incontrovertible.

Did not holy Paul say, “‘But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed,” Gal. 1:8.  That your prophets, with their king, dominion, polygamy, sword, &c., do not agree with Paul and the doctrine and gospel of the apostles, you are all forced to acknowledge and admit, from which it forcibly follows that they, with their doctrine and conduct, are cursed and anathematized.

Say, my beloved, what do you do with the revealed and infallible word and testimony of the Almighty Father, which he himself has testified of his Son, and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; you hear him,” Matt. 17:5.  Him you shall hear; but since you reject his Spirit, word and example, you follow and hear those who, with their spirit, doctrine and conduct, are from the bottomless pit, yes, are manifestly anti-christs and false prophets.

Do you not know that the Son of God has himself commanded us that we should observe all that he has enjoined, and that he will be with us until the end of the world?

Will you then say that the doctrine of Christ and his apostles was imperfect, and that your teachers bring forth the perfect instruction?  I answer that to teach and believe this is the most horrible blasphemy, the most mocking perversity that can be uttered against the Most High; for you thereby declare that Christ is not the true Son of God, the perfect Teacher, and the true image of righteousness.  You deny the whole Scripture, you reject the testimony of Moses and all the prophets, who pointed to the only and true Christ, as has been shown; you disparage the word of the Father, and reject Christ Jesus, with his Spirit, word, kingdom and spiritual government; you put your trust and hopes in lying, mortal flesh, and upon earthly, carnal things, which, as the Scriptures teach, must be dispersed like dust before the wind.  Examine the Scriptures in the fear of the Lord, and reflect if such is not a gross blasphemy against the Almighty.

Say, you deceived children, where is there a syllable in the whole doctrine of Christ and the apostles (according to which Spirit, doctrine, conduct and example all Scripture must be understood), by which you can prove and establish one of all your erring articles?

If you would appeal to the literal understanding and transactions of Moses and the prophets, then must you also become Jews, receive circumcision, literally possess the land of Canaan, again erect the Jewish kingdom, build the city and temple, and according to the law, offer sacrifices, attend to the worship of God, and declare that Christ, the promised Savior, has not yet come, [but] who has changed the literal and figurative ceremonies into new, spiritual and abiding substances.

Thus spoke the Bridegroom, Christ Jesus, through Solomon to his bride, the church, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away, for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land; the fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.  Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away,” Cant. 2:10-13.

Chosen, true children, you, who with me, are called to the same grace, inheritance and kingdom, and are named after our Lord’s name, hear the voice of Christ, your king; hear the voice of your bridegroom, ah, you bride of God, you friend of the Lord, arise, and adorn yourself to honor your king and bridegroom.  Though you are pure, purify yourself yet more; though you are holy, hallow yourself yet more, and though you are right, rectify yourself yet more; adorn yourself with the white silken robe of righteousness; hang about your neck the golden chain of all piety; gird yourself with the fair girdle of brotherly love; put on the wedding ring of true faith; gird yourself with the precious fair gold of the divine word.  Adorn yourself with the pearls of all modesty; wash yourself with the clear waters of grace, and anoint yourself with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  Wash your feet in the clear, restoring river of Almighty God; let your whole body be pure and clear, for your friend hates all wrinkles and spots; so he will have pleasure in your beauty and will praise you and say, “How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse!  How much better is your love than wine, and the smell of your ointments than all spices.  Your lips, O, my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue,” Cant. 4:10,11.

Rejoice, O, you bride of the Lord!  For your beloved is fairer than all the children of men, “The chiefest among ten thousand, his head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy and as black as a raven.  His eyes are as the eyes of doves, by the rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set.  His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers; his lips, like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.  His hands are as gold rings set with beryl; his belly is as bright ivory, overlaid with sapphires.  His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold.  His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; his mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely,” Cant. 5:10-16.  Cry out and say, “Hearken, O, daughter, and consider and incline your ear; forget also your own people, and your father’s house, so shall the king greatly desire your beauty,” Psm. 45:10,11.

Draw near, O, you queen, O, you well-prepared and fairest of all women; bow your neck with Esther, under his powerful sceptre; hear his word and fear his judgment; acknowledge his great love, for he has greatly humbled himself towards us.  “Your birth and your nativity is of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite, and as for your nativity, in the day you were born, your navel cord was not cut, neither were you washed in water to supple you; you were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all,” Eze. 16:3,4.  You were polluted in your blood, behold, so despised were your souls, as the prophet lamented.  But he has pitied you, promised you life, nourished you and clothed your shame, purified you from your uncleanness, wiped off your blood, anointed you with balsam, clothed you with spiritual clothes; he has adorned you with bracelets, earrings, and a beautiful crown, and has taken you for his bride, and made an everlasting covenant with you; he has fed you with oil, honey and wheaten bread; he has led you to the chamber of his love, and kissed you with the mouth of his peace.

How lovely and gracious a bridegroom and king is he, who has chosen his miserable, impure, unesteemed, yes, unchaste servant, to such an exalted station, and has called her to be such a glorious queen, and has spared no labor, pains nor costs, till he has made her the fairest, purest, most worthy and precious among women.

Arise, make haste, adorn and dress yourselves, extol and praise him who has created you, and called you to such a high honor through the word of his grace.

The winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land; there is nothing more which can harm or hinder, for hell, sin, the devil, death, the world, flesh, fire and sword, are already overcome by all the children of God, through Christ!  All they know is Christ Jesus, their seeking is the pure apostolic doctrine and the pious, unblameable life, which is from God.

Praise be to the Most High, who has silenced the falsehoods, for the truth sounds in every street.  Antichrist sinks to shame, and Christ rises to higher honor, yes, the unfruitful, cold winter has disappeared, and the fruitful pleasant spring has come, the lovely fair flowers shoot forth and vegetate, in every place; the voice of the turtledove is heard.  The wholesome, holy word, the word of repentance, the word of grace and eternal peace, is testified with word, writings, life and death, in many countries.

“The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell; arise, my love, my fair one, and come away,” Cant. 2:13.  Faith assumes verdure, love blooms, the sun softens, and the truth is published and testified to, which remained fruitless for so many years; although you must, for a short time, bear the heat of the sun, yet you so well know that the kingdom of glory, in eternal joy, is promised and prepared for you.

Rejoice and watch; you are black but comely, you are as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.  “Awake, O, north wind, and come, you south; blow upon my garden, that the spices of it may flow out,” Cant. 4:16.  Do not fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, not the perishing kingdoms of Assyria, Media, Macedonia, nor of Rome, but the kingdom of the saints, the kingdom of the great King; the kingdom of David, the kingdom of grace and eternal peace, which shall never more perish, but shall abide and stand forever.  Therefore, hear him and be obedient, that you are not thrust out with the haughty, disobedient Vashti, but stay with the pious Esther, live in endless glory, before the true Ahasuerus, Christ, and abide with him forever.

Arise, you daughter of Zion, and observe what is promised to you.  O, Jerusalem, although you, as a comfortless one, sit for a while, and must bear all manner of storms and hail, your helper will arrive in time, who brings forth your righteousness as the morning, and is your shelter from the wind and storm.  For He who loves you has said, “Behold, I will lay your stones with fair colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires, and I will make your windows of agates and your gates of carbuncles and all your borders of pleasant stones, and all your children shall be taught by Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of your children.  In righteousness shall you be established; you shall be far from oppression,” Isa. 54:11-14.

Behold, your wall stands firmly upon twelve foundations, your gates are of pearls, the city is of pure gold, the river of living waters, proceeding from the thrones of God and the lamb, is in the midst of your way, and the tree of life is on either side, and its leaves serve to heal the nation.  Happy and holy is he who has part in this city.

Therefore, so purify yourselves, you who seek the Lord, circumcise the foreskin of your hearts, for the holy city may be inhabited by no uncircumcised person, the golden streets are trodden by no unclean feet; the unclean do not drink of the pure waters; the fruit of life shall never be eaten by any of the ungodly, for “Left out are fornicators and murderers and idol worshippers and the unclean and sorcerers and all seers and workers of lies.” Rev. 22:15 (CHCP translation from the Aramaic).

Be all minded like Christ Jesus.  Be earnest to hold the union of the Spirit through the covenant of peace; you are all one temple, house, city, mountain, body and church in Christ Jesus.

Place your candle upon a candlestick, build your city upon a high mountain; live unblamably, behave in all things consistent with Christianity, fear God in all your ways, praise him in all your works; for great is the grace which has appeared.  Prove yourselves in all things, as those who are born by God; shun all false doctrine; do not repay evil with evil, but return the evil with good; pray without ceasing; in patience possess your souls; judge all your thoughts, words, and lives, after the thoughts, words, and life of Christ, so shall you in eternity never again be deceived.

Walk worthily after the calling by which you are called.  Let the tyrannical, blaspheming, upbraiding, and furious, hate the Lord and his word, they persecute not you, but Christ Jesus, to whom they are inimical.  They will be judged in their time, and, if they do not repent, will be repaid again in their own bosoms.

Strive and wrestle valiantly, in order that the crown is not taken from you.  Fly to the mountain of the covert of Christ Jesus.  Gird yourselves with the weapons of righteousness, declare God’s word with freedom, neither shrink nor give way.  God is your conductor; be faithful unto death, so shall you inherit the crown of life.

Whosoever overcomes will be clothed with white clothing, and his name shall not be erased from the book of life.  Although we appear to the unwise, to die and depart from the right way, our souls are, nevertheless, in hope and peace, Wis. 3:2.

“It is a faithful saying,” says Paul, “for if we are dead with him (Christ), we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us,” 2 Tim. 2:11,12.  Therefore, fear your God from the heart, watch and pray and commend to him your affairs, as Jeremiah did.  He has chosen you to be his loving bride, children, and members; called you to the kingdom of his grace, and the inheritance of his glory, and has bought you with the immaculate blood of Christ Jesus.

Peace be with you, the Spirit, power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with all my fellow laborers, believers, brothers and sisters.  Until eternal life, Amen.

═════════════════

WHICH CONVERTS, CHANGES, MAKES PIOUS, SINCERE, NEW, PEACEFUL, JOYFUL AND BLESSED THE HUMAN HEART;

WITH ITS NATURAL PROPERTIES, NATURE, OPERATIONS AND POWERS.

CAREFULLY REVISED, AND MORE FORMALLY PRESENTED, IN THE YEAR 1566.

BY

MENNO SIMON.

“He that believes in me (said Christ) though he were dead, yet shall he live.  And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die,” John 11:25,26.

For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 8:11.

ELKHART, INDIANA:

PUBLISHED BY JOHN F. FUNK AND BROTHER.

1871.

We wish all the chosen children of God, our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, an increase of faith, grace, peace and spiritual joy, perfect righteousness and eternal life, all of which is from God, our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who loves us, and washed us from our sins in his blood.  To him be praise, honor, glory, kingdom, power and majesty, from eternity to eternity, Amen.

CHOSEN, beloved children, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, although, O, God!  We are so unwisely prevented by this irrational, blind world, from preaching the true gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to every one verbally; and although the cruel, bloody tyranny encouraged by our useless, wicked priests and preachers is used so unrestrainedly against Christ and his word (for these poor children seek and love dross more than gold, chaff more than wheat, lies more than truth, and darkness more than light), yet shall God’s only invincible truth, which always triumphs, through the Holy Spirit, in the true children of God, bear its crown; notwithstanding that it is stung so miserably in the heel by the conquered serpent and his seed, the proud despisers, liars and blood-shedders, that it can scarcely stand in obedience to its Lord Jesus Christ.  Notwithstanding their raving, this envious, bloody seed and serpent must, with bruised head, and quite powerless, remain under its sway, for through the power of the Spirit, and the gospel truth in Christ Jesus he is wholly overcome.

Since this old, crooked serpent, which was from the beginning, proudly and falsely opposed to God, and was a cruel murderer, is put under the feet of Christ and his church, and has endured and seen his lying seed destroyed and trampled under foot, through the revealed truth, therefore, does he gnash his teeth in furious rage, and breathe out his accursed, infernal breath of heresy through his prophets and preachers.  He casts out of his mouth the terrible streams of tyranny through the rulers and the mighty of the earth, after the glorious church (woman), pregnant with the word of the Lord, with a view to exterminate and destroy her seed.  But God be eternally praised, who has protected her against the red dragon, and has prepared her a place in the wilderness.

Since, then, for reasons assigned, I cannot teach publicly, nevertheless, I will serve you by writing, as long as the Lord will permit me, and I live.  I will serve you with my small talents, which the gracious Father has granted me through his Son, Christ Jesus, out of the abundant treasury of his heavenly riches.  I say with Paul, Not with the wisdom of man, not with words of wisdom to serve you, for I possess and know them not.  I let those seek them who are eager after them.  My boasting is, with Paul, only to know Christ, and him crucified; for to know him is eternal life.  Therefore God cannot endow us with better wisdom than with this, although it is foolishness to the world; for truth is more precious than gold and silver; than all pearls and precious stones; there is nothing under heaven to be compared to her.  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; she is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retains her.

Yes, beloved brothers, every one who is thus rightly taught by God in this wisdom (for she is the wisdom of the saints), may glory, by the grace given to him, over all graduated doctors, theologists, jurists, orators and poets, although he could neither write nor speak, and were he the most helpless upon earth.  But all those who are not instructed in this wisdom from God, though they were as glorious as Solomon, as victorious as Alexander, as rich as Croesus, as strong as Hercules, as learned as Plato, as subtle as Aristotle, as eloquent as Demosthenes and Cicero, and as well skilled in languages as Mithridates; yes, so greatly experienced that his like was not to be found from the beginning, nevertheless, he is a fool in the eyes of the Lord; this must be confessed and acknowledged.

With this wisdom, I say, so much as the gracious Father, the Giver of every perfect gift, has given me through his Son, Jesus Christ, I desire to serve not only our brothers and sisters, but the whole world, with all my heart, that all the hungry and thirsty souls may be clothed from above, and be satisfied with this celestial wisdom, who desire to live according to the will of the Lord; those souls which he created to his honor, and purchased with the blood of his Son, that they may learn to know God through his Son and word, in spirit, who says, “Do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, do not let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am Jehovah, who exercise loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says Jehovah,” Jer. 9:23,24.

O, dear children, you who are born of the word of the Lord through the Spirit, reflect rightly upon these things in your hearts, how incomprehensibly great the heavenly bounty and grace are, which have appeared to us, through Christ, and have been given to us from the Father, that he has so graciously bestowed upon us, grievous sinners, in our most abominable blindness, the glorious and divine gift of his wisdom; yes, when we knew neither God nor Christ, were strangers to the life that is from God, children of wrath and of eternal death, did not know the word of peace, and strayed like sheep who knew no shepherd; that he has so graciously bestowed upon us this great treasure, the true knowledge of the kingdom of God; the treasure which lies buried in the field he showed us by his Spirit, and made known to us the mystery of his good will, and the true regenerating signification of his holy gospel, which cannot be taught in colleges, cannot be purchased, is not to be brought from foreign lands, nor can it be merited by anything.  He has opened to us with the key of his word and Spirit, the saving truth, and has closed it to all emperors, kings, lords, princes, the wise and the learned, before the whole world; that he redeemed us from the power of darkness, and, according to his will and good pleasure, led us into the kingdom of his dear Son.  Yes, he has made us kings and priests, that we are to be a chosen and holy people; a people to serve him in love, and to be his own, that we are to publish his power and virtue, because he has called us out of darkness to his marvelous light, as Peter says: O, great grace and love!

Most beloved brothers, always rejoice in the Lord.  Again, I say, with Paul, rejoice that the great King, Jesus Christ, who has all power in heaven and on earth, has manifested such grace towards you that he has called you poor, unesteemed children to such high honor.  You who are the reproach and disgrace of the whole world, he has made you kings and priests.  Kings, I say, who have been anointed with the oil of grace, through the Holy Spirit, crowned with the crown of honor, clothed with the garment of righteousness, and governed by Christ, your King; not with the weapons of death, such as firearms, spears, swords, horses, riders and servants, as the kings of this world do, but with the invincible and eternal sceptre of the power of God, namely, with the sharp-edged sword of the holy word, which will victoriously triumph by virtue of your unconquerable faith, over gold, silver, cities, countries, lords, princes, flesh, blood, banners, banishment, swords, stakes, water, fire, hunger, thirst, nakedness, hell, sin, law, fear, devil and death.  You will be perfect in life and death, and secure from all your enemies, both visible and invisible, who would deprive and rob you of the promised kingdom, through the advice and seed of the old serpent.  The dominion and government of the spiritual king are spiritual, therefore, they cannot be fatally hurt or conquered by tyranny, false doctrine, or evil lusts; for they can do all things through Christ, who strengthens them, who also is their helper and redeemer, whose shield and sword is their glory.

Again, you are also priests anointed by God, not with the external oil of Aaron and his sons, nor with the perishable blood of oxen and sheep; nor with the splendid garments of gold, silk and precious stones as the law required; but anointed, sprinkled and affected with the oil of the Holy Spirit, with the blood of Christ, and clothed with the garment of righteousness, ordained and called by God, not to slay the creatures daily, and offer them upon altars, in outward temples of stone, as Moses commanded the priests in the law; but you are to slay human beings all your lives, with the sword of the divine word (understand this spiritually), together with your own refractory flesh and blood, that you teach and reprove them, and yourselves, with the Spirit and word of the Lord, that you and they [must] die to your unrighteousness and evil lusts, destroy them, and thus offer in your spiritual house or temple, not made with hands, upon the only and eternal altar of our reconciliation, Jesus Christ.

Besides, you are not such priests who, of their own righteousness, offer bread and wine for the sins and transgressions of the common people, and for the souls of the deceased, neither are you to sing nor read mass, nor worship the golden, silver, wooden and stone images, nor serve nor burn incense to them as the poor, ignorant priests of the world do.  You are holy priests, who purify and sanctify your own bodies daily, and in time of need voluntarily offer them as a sweet smelling sacrifice, for the truth’s sake, together with your ardent prayers and joyful thanksgiving, out of a believing, converted, pure heart; for such offerings are well pleasing to the Lord.

Would to God that all who are called priests were changed into such priests.  Ah!  How much innocent blood would be spared, how gloriously the truth would be spread, and what a noble Christian world this would be!

Say, beloved brothers, who can fully comprehend this grace, or relate these benefits?  Again, formerly, we all strayed as lost sheep, which have no shepherd; we walked according to the lusts of our evil flesh, even as they all do, who do not know the way of the Father.  We were unbelievers in divine things, blind and without understanding, full of bruises and putrifying sores from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, and by nature, children of wrath like others.  But blessed be the Lord, now we are washed, now we are sanctified, now we are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. 6:11.  In short, we are converted to the true Shepherd and preserver of our souls, Jesus Christ, who pastures us in the rich pastures of his truth, feeds us with the bread of his word, sustains us with the tree of life, and refreshes us with the water of his Spirit.  Who can comprehend and relate this grace?

Besides this, when we were yet ungodly and enemies, he did not punish us as he did the angels that sinned, nor like the first depraved world, nor like Sodom and Gomorrah, nor like those who worshipped the calf, nor like those in the day of provocation, nor like the seditious and adulterers, nor like those in the wilderness, who acted contrary to his will and word, for he destroyed all of them.  No, he saved us through his great mercy, led us by his right hand, drew us by his goodness, renewed us by his word, begat us by the Holy Spirit, and enlightened us by the clear light of his truth; that we by his grace renounced the world, flesh, devil and all manner of evil, willingly entered upon the path of peace and submitted to the easy yoke of his gospel.  It appears to me, this may properly be called grace.

Most beloved children, take heed.  Since the gracious Father has dealt so marvelously with us according to his great mercy, and manifested his love toward us without our merits, it is right and becoming that we also love, fear, praise and honor such a benevolent Lord and merciful Father, with all our powers serve him, and be obedient to him in all our weakness.

Since he has manifested toward us afflicted sinners, such unspeakable love and grace, as said, which love and grace cannot be rightly seen and understood, with the blind eyes and the ignorant reason of the flesh, but must be seen and understood with the inward eyes of the mind, and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit; that is, with a sincere, sure, immoveable, confident, vigorous, unfeigned and pure faith; such as the Scriptures teach.

It is true, the papists teach and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he offered up his flesh, and shed his blood for us.  But they say that if we would be partakers of it, we must adhere to and obey the pope and his church, go to mass, receive the holy water, perform pilgrimages, call upon the mother of the Lord and the departed saints, confess at least twice a year, receive papistic absolution, have our children baptized, and commemorate their holy days.  The priests must vow chastity; the bread in the mass must be called the flesh, and the wine, the blood of Christ; besides all their other idolatry and abominations, which are daily practiced by them.

And all this is called, by these poor, ignorant people, the most holy christian faith, and the institutions of the holy christian church.  In truth, it is nothing but mere human opinion, self-chosen righteousness, seductive hypocrisy, manifest deception of the soul, ungodly, indecent bodily nourishment and gain for lazy priests, an accursed abomination, an incensing of God, a disgraceful blasphemy, an unworthy despising of the blood of Christ, a self-devised undertaking, and a disobedient contumacy to the divine word.  In short, it is false, offensive worship and open idolatry, of which Jesus Christ (to whom the Father points us) has not left or commanded us a single letter of all these things.

It is not sufficient for them that they practice such abominations; they also despise as vain and useless all the true fruits of faith commanded by God himself: the sincere, pure love and fear of God, the love and service of our neighbor, the true sacraments and divine service, &c.  They revile them as damnable and heretical, and persecute and exterminate any who believe Christ’s words.  I think this may properly be called a sect.

═════════════════

The Lutherans teach and believe that we are saved by faith alone, without any regard to works.  They maintain this doctrine as firmly as though works were not at all necessary.  Yes, that faith is of such a nature that no work can be suffered or allowed beside it.  And, therefore, the highly important, zealous, and earnest epistle of James (because he reproves such a frivolous, vain doctrine and faith), had to be esteemed and considered as straw.  O, presumption!  If the doctrine is straw, then also the chosen apostle, the faithful servant and witness of Christ, who wrote and taught it must have been a man of straw; this is as clear as the meridian sun.  For the doctrine shows the character of the man.

Let every one take heed how and what Luther teaches; for with this same doctrine they have led the reckless and ignorant, great and small, citizens and the common people; into such a fruitless, wild life, and have so much unbridled them that we would scarcely find such an ungodly and abominable life among the Turks and Tartars, as we see among them.  Their open deeds bear testimony; for the excessive eating and drinking; the superfluous pomp and splendor, the whoring, lying, cheating, cursing, swearing by the wounds, sacraments and sufferings of the Lord, the shedding of blood, fighting, &c., which exist among many of them, and, alas, have neither measure nor bounds.  In many carnal things, both the teachers and disciples are the same, as may be seen.  I well know what I write, and what I have heard and seen, I testify, and I know that I testify the truth.

If any one simply says with them, Ah1  What dishonest knaves and villains these desperate priests and monks are!, they wish them the venereal or some other disease.  The ungodly pope with his shorn crew, they say, have deceived us long enough with purgatory, confession and fasting; we now eat as we have hunger; fish or flesh, as we desire; for every creature of God is good, says Paul, and is not to be rejected.  But what follows they do not want to understand or know; namely, to (live as) the believing, who know the truth and enjoy it in moderation with thanksgiving.

We teach and believe, and this by virtue and power of the whole Scriptures, that the whole Christ Jesus from above and below, inwardly and outwardly, visibly and invisibly, is God’s first and only begotten Son, the unsearchable, eternal Word, by which all things are created, the first born of every creature; that he became a true man in Mary, the immaculate virgin, through the almighty, eternal Father, eternal Spirit and power, beyond the comprehension and knowledge of men; sent and given unto us out of pure mercy and grace, from the Father; the express image of the invisible God, and the brightness of his glory.  We teach and believe that the first and only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, is our only and everlasting Messiah, prophet, teacher and high priest, who has fulfilled the required and commanded law for all his believers, inasmuch as they could not fulfil it on account of the weakness of their flesh; who taught us the good will and pleasure of his Father, and went before us as an unblameable pattern, and freely offered himself upon the cross for our sins, as a sweet smelling sacrifice to the Father.  Through whom we all, who sincerely believe this, have received the forgiveness of our sins, grace, favor, mercy, liberty, peace, life eternal, a reconciled Father and free access to God, in the Spirit; and this all through his merits, righteousness, intercession and blood, and not through our own works.  Behold, this is the true summary of our belief concerning Christ, our Savior, the Son of God.

All who can believe this, as certain and true, are sealed, through the word of God, in their spirit, are inwardly changed, receive the fear and love of God, and bring forth, out of their faith, righteousness, fruit, power, an unblameable life and a new being; as Paul says, “With the heart, man believes unto righteousness.”  Through faith, says Peter, God purifies our hearts.  And thus follow the fruits of righteousness out of an upright, unfeigned, pious, Christian faith.  Observe this well.

All those who sincerely believe the righteous judgment of God and his eternal wrath over all sin and wickedness, and do not doubt in spirit consider the fallen angels; they look at the first, depraved world, at Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon disobedient, refractory Israel.  They take particular notice how God humbled his innocent Son, who knew no sin, and in whose mouth guile was not found; how he was humbled, and made the most miserable among men because of our sins.  Yes, he was so beaten and tortured that while extended on the cross, he piteously complained to his Father saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matt. 27:45.

All who truly believe this will certainly flee from all unrighteousness, as they would from the fangs of a serpent; they turn away from all sins, and dread them more than a burning fire, or a piercing sword, for their whole mind and conscience testify to them that if they knowingly and wilfully sin against the law and word of God, and do not receive Christ in a pure and good conscience, live according to the flesh, and despise the inviting voice of God, that they will fall under the dreadful, eternal sentence and wrath of God.

This the pious and aged Eleazar believed, who was well versed in the law, 2 Mac. 6:18, and the god-fearing, virtuous mother, with her seven sons, 2 Mac. 7:1, the three faithful young men in the fiery furnace, the beloved Daniel, and the fair, virtuous Susanna, the honorable pattern of all pious women, Daniel 13.  They would rather endure for a season the wrath and fury of tyrants, than sin, and thus bring upon themselves the eternal anger and wrath of God.  The righteous, say the Scriptures, live by faith.  For the true evangelical faith, which makes the heart sincere and pious before God, moves, changes, urges and constrains a man, so that he will always hate the evil, and willingly do the things which are right and just; even as it is unnecessary to admonish or warn a man of understanding not to cut his own throat, or drink poison, or thrust himself from a high tower, or run into deep water; for he well knows if he did so, he could not escape death.  It should also be unnecessary for us to admonish or warn those who sincerely believe that the wages of sin is death, that drunkards, liars, fornicators, whore-mongers, adulterers, avaricious, idolators, blasphemers of God, envious, blood-shedders, perjurers, thieves and similar sinners, shall not inherit the kingdom of Christ, and therefore they should not get drunk, nor commit fornication, &c.  The divine fear, which is part of such a faith, warns, exhorts, reproves, urges and deters them, so that they will never more consent to such carnal, ungodly works, much less do them.  For their faith, which is sealed by the Spirit [dwelling within them] through the word, teaches them that the end of it is death.

We must thus believe with the heart, as Paul says; that is, we must so adhere to the word as to receive and impress it upon our hearts that we may never turn or be diverted from it, but that faith be more and more rooted in our hearts, that through the virtue of it, we may fear God with all our powers, and do sincere penance.  Sincere, unfeigned fears drive out sin, for it is impossible to be justified without the fear of God.

Here observe, what an excellent, pleasing fruit of faith the fear of the Lord is; it is a power which expels the sins of believers; buries, slays, destroys and makes sin nought, this is the first part of true repentance, as we are taught and admonished by the baptism of believers.  “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endures for ever,” Psm. 111:10.

Further, all who comprehend with a sincere, unwavering, believing heart, the great solicitude and ardent care of God for us (here I speak of him according to the manner of man), and his unbounded kindness, mercy and love, as paternally manifested toward us through Christ Jesus, that he did not spare his eternal Son, with whom he created the heavens and the earth, the seas and the fullness of it, his incomparable, eternal Word, power and wisdom, but for our sakes, gave him over, humbled him, suffered him to endure hunger and thirst, was derided, taken, mocked, his holy face spit upon, scourged, crowned with a crown of thorns, condemned, crucified and slain, all so that we, through his sickness and stripes, might be healed, through his poverty, might become rich, through his being despised, obtain glory; through his cursing, obtain blessing; through his punishment, receive grace: through his blood, the remission of sin; through his offering, be reconciled, and through his death, might obtain eternal life.  He also created every living creature for our use, and made them subject to us.  He serves and provides us with winter and summer, heat and cold, night and day, rain and dearth; to us he sent his holy apostles with his holy word, endowed us with his Spirit, enlightens, governs, admonishes, reproves and comforts us.  He has given us the necessary shelter and food to supply our wants, and in the midst of a perverted lion-like generation, he has kept and preserved us by his grace, &c.  I say, again, he who believes this with all his heart, apprehends and lays hold of it, can never be [persuaded to turn back,] neither by angel nor devil, neither by life nor death.  No, he must love this gracious Father, from his inmost heart, who has manifested such great love and mercy towards us grievous sinners; yes, praise, honor, thank, serve, and obey him, all the days of his life.

For this is the greatest delight and joy of believers, that they in their weakness may walk and live according to the will and word of the Lord, and where the unfeigned, pure love of God dwells, there without fail, must also be the voluntary, ready service of that love, namely, the keeping of his commands.  Solomon says, “They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth, and such as are faithful in love shall abide with him,” Wis. 3:9.  And this is what Paul says, “In Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith, which works by love,” Gal. 5:6.

That love is of such an effective power and nature, may be very plainly seen in natural love; we need not admonish rational parents to provide their children with necessary food and clothing, for natural love will admonish them to this.  And thus with husband and wife, who sincerely love each other with conjugal love; they think it no displeasure willingly to serve each other and be fellow helpers, as it becomes them, being one flesh.  And so is also the nature and property of holy, divine love, for all those who by faith are one with the Father and his Son, Christ Jesus, in love and spirit, through the true and genuine knowledge of the aforementioned favor, need not be admonished that they should serve the Lord, seek the kingdom of God, use baptism and the Lord’s Supper, according to the ordinance of the Scriptures, constrain their heart and tongue, reflect upon the law and will of God with all earnestness, hear Christ and follow him, and that they should not love gold and silver, money and possessions, wife and children, health and life above Christ and his word.  For the effectual nature of the ardent love of God, which is of a pure heart and good conscience, through unfeigned faith urges and constrains, moves and operates so much in their hearts that they stand prepared with body, soul, possessions and blood, to do what he commands them, and do not do that which he prohibits.  This we may see (God be praised) in great plainness and power, and hear daily of many pious hearts.

And it is hereby evident, if we would love God and walk in obedience to his commands, we should believe, and have a special regard to his favors, and with our heart adhere closely to the word of his promise, as said; for that love which is sincere is a very precious fruit, it is a branch and plant of faith from which the other part of true repentance flows, namely, the unblameable new life, represented to us by baptism, as related above, b the fear of the Lord; without which love, all eloquence, all tongues, all knowledge and understanding, all boastings of faith, learning, miracles, prophesying, alms, persecution, cross and suffering, are vain before God; yes, unfruitful and dead.

Every one that loves is born by God, and knows him, for God is love, 1 John 4:7, such a one does all things according to the nature and word of the Lord, for it is the fulfilling of the law, obedience to his commands, the bond of perfection and peace, and it is prefigured by the splendid girdle of Aaron and his sons.

Love, says Solomon, is as strong as death; jealousy is as cruel as the grave; the coals of it are coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame; many waters cannot quench love, yes, so firm and strong and ardent is love that it surpasses every thing, conquers and consumes what is opposed to Christ and his word, be it world or flesh, tyrant or devil, sin or death, or whatever we may think of or name; and this is all through the power and Spirit of Jesus Christ from whom it originates.

Moses preceded with fear, then came Christ with love.  First the terrific law, and afterwards the consoling gospel; first wrath in the feelings of our consciences, afterwards grace; first uneasiness of pain, then peace; first tribulation, then joy.  In short, first the letter which kills, then the Spirit which quickens.

The holy Scriptures testify concerning Noah, the son of Lamech, that he found grace before the Lord, because he was a righteous man, unwavering and perfect in his generation.  Peter calls him a preacher of righteousness.  High and glorious is the testimony which is given in the Scriptures concerning this man.

Abraham, the highly renowned patriarch, who had not his equal in honor, as Sirach writes, believed God and trusted upon his word with his whole heart, and thus manifested obedience and power as the result of his faith.  Jehovah commanded him and said, “Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, unto a land that I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing, and I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you, and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed,” Gen. 12:1-3.  When he heard the command, he believed his God and did not consult the ease of his body nor his natural reason, but renounced both, and did not strive nor dispute with God, in whom he trusted and by whose command he went forth.  He did not desire to know before hand into what land he should go.  He believed his God with his whole heart, he was obedient and went forth at that hour, together with Sarai, his wife, not knowing where he should go.  He reposed firmly and surely upon the promise of God, who would not deceive nor betray him, for he well knew that he was a God who was true and firm in all his words, and that he would bring him into such a country as he had promised him.

Behold, how upright and perfect, how plain, obedient, and full of confidence is true christian faith, as may be seen in this patriarch.  Compare your faith and its fruits with Abraham’s faith and its fruits, and I presume you will find that you have never yet become his faithful seed and children; for it is likely that you are stubborn and unbelieving, so fleshly and earthly minded that you would not give a clay house, a poor bed, a cow or a horse, nor would you endure a hard word for the sake of the word of the Lord and his testimony; and I doubt whether you would forsake father or mother, or the land of your birth, for the sake of your faith, and like Abraham, travel with wife and children to an unknown land.  Cursed unbelief keeps the whole world from the truth; for many of you say, We well know that you have the truth, but what does it avail?  We are poor and full of years, we can no longer labor or earn; we have a house full of children and cannot earn our bread in other lands; we fear, also, that the Lord may not have such a care for us as he had for Abraham.  Others, we say, have much wealth, or we are young in years, and may live long, yet father and mother hinder us.  The wife says, my husband opposes me; the husband says, my wife is against me, and similar unbelieving fleshly excuses and cares.  They never take to heart, nor understand that Christ has richly promised you, that if you abide by his word, you shall receive all the necessaries of the earth, such as food, clothing, and shelter.  “I have been young, and now I am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread,” Psm. 37:25.

Faithful readers, observe, if we had a firm faith and a sure confidence, like this godly man, and dare trust from our heart upon the living God, O, how little should we trouble ourselves with such heathenish cares, concerning dwelling, eating, drinking, and clothing, for we well know that Christ, God’s own Son, has promised that if we seek the kingdom of heaven, and his righteousness, and turn our hearts to some honest labor, he will not forsake us for all eternity, but will supply all our necessities, for he cares for us.

Secondly, observe his faith when a message came to Abraham, that Lot, his brother’s son, was taken from Sodom by Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and his confederate kings, Abraham rose up with three hundred and eighteen of his servants and followed after the aforementioned kings; he overtook them in the night and slew them and retook all their goods, together with Lot, the prisoners and their wives, Gen. 14:16.

Here the faithful patriarch manifested his love, the result of faith, and did not fear the power of the four kings.  He trusted in the living God, he did not seek his own safety, nor the safety of his servants, but willingly risked all, in order that he might rescue his oppressed kinsman from the hands of his enemies, as an example for all the spiritual children of Abraham, that they should so love their brethren, who are born of the incorruptible seed of the holy divine word, and not only assist them with money and goods, but also in an evangelical manner, risk and give their lives for them in time of need.  I say in an evangelical manner; for the aid of the sword is forbidden to all true christians.  According to the New Testament, true believers should meekly suffer, and not fight and combat with swords and firearms.  But if we wish to save or gain our neighbor’s soul, by the help of the Spirit and word of our Lord, or if we see our brethren in need or peril, and persecuted for the sake of the word of the Lord, then we should not close our doors to them, but receive them in our houses, share with them our food, aid, comfort and assist them in their tribulations, &c.  In such cases, we should risk our lives for our brethren, even if we know beforehand that it could be at the cost of our lives.  This example we have in Christ, who for our sakes, did not spare himself, but willingly yielded his life that we, through him, might live.

In the third place, observe that to Abraham the promise was given, that his seed should be as numerous as the stars of heaven; that they should be strangers in another land that was not theirs, and that they should be oppressed and compelled to serve four hundred years, &c.  When this promise was made, he believed this, and his belief was reckoned to him for righteousness.  He waited with patience, and it was fulfilled in its time; he did not murmur, nor dispute with God, because his seed should suffer so greatly for so many years.  It is an admonition to all true christians, that they should cleave to the word of the Lord with all their heart, and should hold firmly to his promise; for God cannot forget or break his word; heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall stand and abide forever.  All who shall trust in it, to them it shall be reckoned as righteousness, as it was to Abraham.  Through faith he saw the promise from afar; he saw it, and comforted himself with this.  In like manner also with us, the promise of the future, eternal life, is given through Christ, and we are informed that for his name’s sake, we must suffer much from this perverted and wicked generation.  This promise is seen from afar, and all who sincerely believe it and comfort themselves with this, will doubtlessly receive it in due time, however hard and long they may be persecuted and tormented by the evil Egyptian race.  For, although the children of Abraham were grieved with much sorrow and pain for some hundreds of years, yet did the Lord, according to his promise, lead them forth victoriously, and gave them the land of promise; and thus it will be with us if we do not doubt the promises, but receive them with a firm faith, as Abraham did, and through faith walk in all the commandments of God, possess our souls in patience and honor, fear, love, thank and serve Jehovah.  However lamentably we are persecuted here, oppressed, smitten, robbed and murdered by the hellish Pharaoh, and his fierce, unmerciful servants, or burned at the stake, or drowned in the water, yet the day of our salvation shall arrive, and all our tears shall be wiped from our eyes, and we shall be arrayed in the white silken robes of righteousness, and with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, follow the Lamb, and sit down in the kingdom of God and possess the precious, pleasant land of eternal peace.  Praise God, you who suffer for Christ’s sake and raise your heads, for the time is near when you shall hear, Come you blessed, and you shall rejoice with him forever.

In the fourth place, observe that Abraham received a command from God, that he and also his male children when eight days old, should be circumcised, with all his servants, those who were born in his house, and those who were bought, and this should be a covenant sign between God and him.  He was not disobedient to God, nor yet displeased with him, neither did he complain nor murmur against him on account of the great pain and smarting he should suffer in his old age, by performing such a dishonorable and ridiculous ceremony, by which he could neither praise God, nor help or serve his neighbor.  But he heard and believed the word of the Lord, and humbly and submissively followed it without delay.  He well knew that unless he would believe the word of God, he could obtain no grace, no blessing, no promise, for only the obedient obtain the promise.

Here again the simple, plain submission and willing obedience of Abraham’s faith are made manifest by its fruits; for if he had followed flesh and blood, and reasoned with himself, he undoubtedly would not have obeyed, but he would have entered into an argument with God, and said, No, Lord, it shall not be so, for this sign will profit me nothing, for You are not praised by it nor is my neighbor served.  All the heathen who do not know your great name will mock at it as foolishness, from the very nature of the ceremony.  O, no! He did not speak against Jehovah, but he believed and acted, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.

This is for the encouragement of all the pious, that they should believe and submissively follow the word of the Lord, however heretical and ridiculous it may appear to them, not murmuring against the Lord why he so commanded it; but it is enough that they know that he has commanded, and in what manner he has commanded.

Again, it shames all haughty despisers and unbelieving mockers, who so presumptuously open their blasphemous, wicked mouths against Christ, and say, ‘What can baptism profit us, or why does God demand so much water?  It is enough, if we are inwardly pious men, regard the commands of love, and lead a pious, virtuous life,’ and similar hypocritical words; for these poor miserable hypocrites do not understand that when the inward man, of which they boast, has become upright through faith and is pious in God, through the grace, word, and Spirit of the Lord, that he does not dare depart one hair’s breadth from the word and ways of the Lord, but does willingly all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded him, let it be what it will.

It is very manifest that Christ Jesus has commanded water baptism upon the confession of our faith, and that he received it himself, Matt. 3:16.  The holy apostles did not teach nor practice otherwise; their signification and effect were not otherwise, and so many glorious promises depend on them, as may plainly be seen and read, Mark 16:15 (understand me rightly), not by virtue of the wrought sign itself, but that we receive Christ, in whom the Father gave the prom ise through faith, and are ready to live according to his word.  Say, beloved, how shall one obtain the accompanying promise if he does not do what is commanded?  But what does it avail all who do not believe the Lord’s word, who would rather have money, goods, body and life, than Christ?  They are earthly and fleshly minded, they strive against Christ, disobey the Scriptures, dispute and say, What can water benefit us?  But if they believed the word of the Lord from the heart, as Abraham did, and were new and changed men in Christ Jesus, through the power of the same faith, they would love their enemies, do good for evil, pray for those by whom they are persecuted, be ready to forsake possessions and all that they have and are for the glory of the Lord, and for the necessary service of their neighbor.  They would not reject the cross of the Lord, but flesh and blood would be put to death; they would fear God and his judgments, and love him for his kindness; they would undoubtedly not murmur and dispute, but stand prepared, like Abraham, to seal their faith by its fruits; they would receive the commanded baptism, surrender themselves to all obedience, and according to their weakness, walk as the Lord commands, teaches and enjoins upon all true Christians.

Since they do not believe Christ and his word, they neither fear nor love him; therefore they reject, upbraid and blaspheme his holy doctrine, Spirit, commandments, prohibitions, ordinances and usages as deceiving heresy, and obedience to him as an open abomination.  O, reader, beware!  Lord Jehovah is a God who adheres to his word; he brought calamity upon Adam and Eve and their posterity on account of the forbidden fruit.  For a small transgression Uzzah was punished with death, 2 Sam. 6:7.  On account of one transgression, the faithful Moses was not permitted to enter the promised land.  Whoever did not receive the bloody sign of circumcision, was to be cut off from among the people.  Therefore, it must be plainly understood that his word and will must be obeyed, otherwise we cannot be saved, for he is the God who has made heaven and earth and the fullness of it; the Almighty, terrible God, who lives forever in his majesty and glory; the Lord and Ruler over all.  Woe to him who speaks against him and despises his word and will.  The works of such a one testify that he does not believe in Christ, and whosoever does not believe, as Christ himself declares, is condemned already.  Therefore, it is all in vain to excuse ourselves or seek evasion.  How any one who is so unbelieving and rebellious that he refuses to God to wash in water, can conform himself to love his enemies, put to death the flesh to the service of his neighbor, and to take up the cross of Christ.  I will leave the serious reader to reflect upon this, in the fear of God.

I know for certain that all their disputation, pretentions and evasions are nothing but fig leaves, and their lives, nothing but hypocrisy.

In the fifth place, observe when the Lord had spoken to Abraham, that at the end of the year he would return, and that Sarah, his wife, would have a son, whom he should call Isaac, and that he would make his eternal covenant with him and his seed after him; though he was nearly a hundred years old, and Sarah ninety, nevertheless, he did not doubt.  He did not think upon, or regard his own frailty and the barrenness of Sarah, but firm and strong in faith, he trusted upon the promise of his God, and praised him for his grace; for he knew that God was able to perform that which he had promised.  Therefore, from this same Abraham, because he believed the word of the Lord, descended as many as the sand which is upon the sea shore or the stars of heaven, Gen. 22:17.

Behold, most beloved, how an upright, unfeigned christian faith regards God as almighty and true; it knows that he can and will do all that he has promised, and therefore, Abraham looked not upon the frailty and age of himself and Sarah.  He did not doubt the promised words, but believed without wavering, for he knew well that the same God who created heaven and earth, and the fullness of it through his word, who stretched the heavens abroad, and set an established bound to the stormy, raging sea, whose word sustains the earth in the midst of the water, who rules all with the word of his strength, and gives life to the dead, could undoubtedly, when he chose, render that fruitful which before was barren.

Since such a promise was given to him by God, he did not doubt, but hoped for that which, in nature, was not to be expected.  Through faith in God, he received that which was promised to him, namely his son Isaac through the aged and barren Sarah.  So in like manner it is spiritually with us; if we believe, with our whole heart, the promised word of grace, which is the gospel of peace, by which the redemption from our sins through the blood [and death] of Lord Jesus is made known; so will also our dead conscience flourish and live; we shall receive the spiritual Isaac, Christ Jesus, with the eternal blessing, and bring forth fruit.  Christ said, My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word and will of God, and do accordingly; but whosoever does not believe this Isaac, does not receive Christ, but the wrath of God abides upon him.

In the sixth place, observe how severely the Lord tried the faith of Abraham, when he said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you,” Gen. 22:2.  Abraham heard the word of Jehovah and was obedient.  He took his son with him and went to the place which the Lord had commanded him; and when he came there, Isaac said, Father, behold here is fire and wood, but where is the lamb that shall be offered?  Abraham answered his son, and said, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”

O, my most beloved, reflect! Observe the conduct and conversation of Abraham and his son Isaac.  I suppose reason will teach you how full of trouble and grief the mind of the father was on account of his beloved son, for Abraham was flesh and blood as we are.  That son, who was born to him in his old age through the promise and gift of God, his only son born of a free woman, the desire, the joy and the peace of his heart, the staff of his age, through whom he received the comforting promise must be slain and burned with fire.

How hard and sorely he was tried, yet did he not oppose God with a single word, nor contend and say, Why have you given me a son, since he must die?  Neither did he reprove the Lord, by saying that he had falsified his promise, for it was through Isaac that the promise was made, but he trusted in his God with his whole heart; he laid aside all reasoning and wisdom, and followed neither sense nor flesh.  He would not spare his beloved son for the Lord’s sake.  He loved his God more than his child, and therefore he did not refuse to offer him willingly as a burnt offering to Him from whom he received him.  He bound him and lifted him upon the wood, and raised his hand and knife to slay him; he hoped that God would raise him from the dead.  He was about to obey the command which he had received, when an angel spoke from Heaven, saying, “Do not lay your hand upon the lad, neither do any thing unto him; for now I know that you fear God; seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me,” Gen. 22:12.  And thus the obedient, faithful Abraham received his son as a type of the resurrection.  The word of James is true, “Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God,” James 2:23.

Beloved children, we must always stand confounded before God, when we compare our little, weak faith and its fruit with the faith of Abraham.  He did not refuse to travel into an unknown country, as soon as he was commanded.  He was a man full of peace, and did not seek his own interest.  He released Lot out of the hands of his enemies.  He believed the promise concerning the promised land and seed.  He did not murmur on account of the long time nor of the oppression of his seed.  He suffered himself to be circumcised in advanced age.  He believed the Lord’s promise concerning Isaac, and taught all his servants and children that they should follow the way of Jehovah, and do that which was right.  He was willing to offer Isaac as the Lord had commanded him.  This may truly be called faith.

So entirely was this pious man dead to himself that he denied all his lusts, his will and mind, and loved his God alone.  He trusted, feared, loved and honored his God, with all his soul and heart, and walked according to his commandments, as is evidenced by his fruits, as may be observed and understood from many passages of Scripture.  But what kind of faith do our false, boasting christians possess, who allow themselves to think that they are the seed of Abraham?  I will let their fruits be the judge; for they covet and hoard, curse and swear, lie and cheat; they are haughty and proud, eat and drink intemperately, commit fornication and adultery, fight, rob, steal, take usury, and are full of idolatry and wickedness.  Those who have a little light refuse to remove from one village to another, or from one city to another, for the word and truth of the Lord; they seek their own interests, and esteem brotherly love but lightly; they are earthly minded, and flee from the cross of Christ; they do not regard the promise and goodness of the Lord; they do not fear his coming judgment and punishment; they love the creature more than the Creator; his name be blessed forever, Amen.

In short, I do not know what it is, in which they do not serve themselves, nor act contrary to the command of God.  They boast, notwithstanding, that they are the children of Abraham, and have his promise.  Ah no!  My friends, your prophets have led you astray, and your false hopes deceive you; as true as the Lord lives, if you do not believe his word, from your whole heart, nor through the power of the same faith, walk in his ways, do not bring forth the christian fruits of righteousness, and do not follow in the footsteps of this pious patriarch; you are not his seed and children, neither have you his faith nor his promise.  But all who receive Christ in their hearts through faith and adhere strictly to his word and obey it, are the spiritual children of Abraham, and fellow heirs of his promise, for they are reckoned his seed.

═════════════════

Moses, a servant and messenger of God, was also found faithful, vigorous, living and active in his faith.  He was called by the Lord to lead Israel out of Egypt.  He did not exalt himself to the high station of a prince, but humbled himself before God with all his heart, and said, Send, Lord, whom you will, but what am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead forth Israel?  Then Moses said to Jehovah, “O, my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Exo. 4:10.  He refused so long that the Lord was angry.  With fear and trembling, he at last took upon himself the commanded duty, and surrendered himself to his God, whom he [was learning to] trust.

Joshua and Caleb, through faith, passed over Jordan and entered the promised land.  “Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not.  Be of good courage.  And bring some of the fruit of the land.”  Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.” Num. 13:17-20.

They went up and viewed the land, even as Moses had commanded them by the mouth of the Lord, and after forty days they came to Moses and Aaron, and to the whole congregation in the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, carrying with them grapes, pomegranates and figs, saying, “We came unto the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.  Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.”  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”  But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”  And they brought an evil report of the land which they had searched out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search, it is a land that eats up its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature; and there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight,” Num. 13:27-33.

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night, and all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, ‘Would to God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would to God we had died in the wilderness, and why has Jehovah brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey?  Was it not better for us to return into Egypt?’  And they said one to another, ‘Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.’  Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.  And Joshua and Caleb rent their clothes; and they spoke unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying ‘the land which we passed through to search, it is an exceeding good land.  If Jehovah delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it us; a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against Jehovah, neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their defence has departed from them, and Jehovah is with us; do not fear them.’  But all the congregation said to stone them with stones,” Num. 14:1-10.

Behold, dear reader, it is because these two faithful men believed the word and promise of God with all their hearts, that they trusted firmly in his Almighty power, paternal mercy and great works, as if they had already obtained them.  They saw the heinous unbelief and heard the bitter murmuring of their brethren, and that they thereby detracted from the Almighty’s Majesty, as if he were not able to fulfil his promises unto them, and that he had deceived them by his enticing words.  Therefore they were very sorrowful and sad, and rent their clothes, as has been said.  And thus they were the only two persons of the six hundred thousand men that came with Moses out of Egypt, who entered into the promised land.  All the rest died in the wilderness during the time of forty years, and they did not reach the promised land, because they did not believe in Jehovah, the Almighty God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who with such unheard of signs and wonders, had led them through the Red Sea, and so graciously upheld and guarded them in the wilderness.

Thus, alas, it is with some at the present day.  They have spied the pleasant land, have seen and tasted its precious fruits, have been enlightened by the word of the Lord, have tasted the heavenly gifts, have partaken of the Holy Spirit, have tasted of the sweet word of God, and the power of the world to come, and have beheld the grace of the Lord, but they do not consult God, but their own sinful, disobedient, evil flesh, which always seeks its own pleasure, and will not willingly bear the cross of the Lord.  They behold with carnal eyes, and see that so many powerful tyrants and fenced cities are arrayed against them, that they have to pass a howling wilderness, and must ascend many high mountains; that they must give as a prey, honor, money, possessions, wife, children, body and life; hence they murmur against Moses and Aaron, and seek to stone Joshua and Caleb.  They cause their poor teachers and leaders, who with true love direct them to the word and examples of Christ, and preach the pure truth, such intolerable suffering.  They backbite and defame them beyond measure, and choose for themselves, here and there, a captain, false prophet or teacher, who, with fair words and under the appearance of good, would lead them back into Egypt.  They prefer temporal to eternal things, they fear perishing man more than the immortal, eternal God, the Lord and Creator of the world.  With unbelieving, carnal Israel, they say in their hearts, We are not strong enough to go up against this great and strong people, and are not able to obey the doctrine, ordinances and example of Christ, for all the world is against us, all lords and princes persecute us, the preachers and priests upbraid and defame us, and we must become a byword and a derision to all the world.  We are much too weak to bear such great misery: therefore they want to transfer it to the Lord.  Thus you think and err, for your unbelieving, carnal hearts have so blinded you that you do not know the righteous judgment of God, you do not hope that a holy life shall be rewarded, and do not esteem the honor of an unblameable soul.

Dear reader, take warning, for as true as the Lord lives, I tell you that all those who thus cast aside the word of the Lord, again become unbelieving in God, and become so earthly and carnal minded that they fear those whom they ought not to fear; and do not fear those whom they should fear; who think more of the perishable creations, such as home, lands, gold, silver, wife, children, body and life, than of the everlasting God and his eternal kingdom, and have a greater desire to enjoy in peace, for a season, the dark Egypt of this ungodly world, than to inherit the pleasant fruitful land and live in endless peace with God.  Such shall all fall in the wilderness, and unless they repent, shall never enter into his rest, Heb. 4:1.

But those who, with Joshua and Caleb, hold firmly to the word of the Lord; who firmly believe in Christ, as the Scriptures direct; who are firmly assured in their hearts by the Holy Spirit that God will not fail in a single word, but that he will fulfil, in its time, all that he has promised; who are not prevailed on by the gates of hell; who do not allow themselves to be deceived by the subtle lies and philosophy of the learned; who are not frightened by the tyranny of the blood-thirsty; who are not vanquished by carnal lusts; nor enchanted by the fine appearance of false prophets, but walk humbly in the King’s highway; who follow Christ, their Shepherd and Leader, and judge all their ways by his Spirit, word, and unblameable example; who turn not aside, neither to the right hand, nor to the left.  Behold, they are those who will victoriously enter the spiritual, promised land, the everlasting rest and peace, God’s eternal kingdom and glory, with all the saints and believers, and through grace, eternally inherit it with Christ, as Joshua and Caleb inherited the figurative land through faith, and with their children inherited it.  O, children, believe.  “All things,” says Christ, “are possible to him that believes,” Mark 9:23.

═════════════════

Josiah, an illustrious and pious king in all his works, did that which was pleasing to the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David, and did not depart from them, neither to the right hand nor to the left.  And when he was yet a child he began to seek the God of David, his father.  And in the eighteenth year of his age he sent Shaphan, his scribe, to Hilkiah the high priest, that money might be given to those who worked at the house of Jehovah.  And Hilkiah said to Shaphan, I have found the book of the Law in the house of Jehovah, and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and he brought it to the king.  And when the king heard the words of the law, which were written in the book, he rent his clothes, as one who feared his God.  He believed the word of the Lord, and feared the coming wrath which he threatened in the book which was found.  He then commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, and Shaphan saying, “Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found, for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us,” 2 Kings 22:13.

So they went to Huldah, a prophetess, the wife of Shallum, and asked her as Josiah had commanded them; the woman answered them, “Thus says Jehovah God of Israel, Tell the man who has sent you unto me, Thus says Jehovah, behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read, because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods that they might provoke me to anger, with all the works of their hands; therefore, my wrath shall be kindled against this place and shall not be quenched.  But to the king of Judah, which sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall you say to him, Thus says Jehovah God of Israel, as touching the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender, and you have humbled yourself before Jehovah, when you heard what I spoke against this place and against the inhabitants of it, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and have rent your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says Jehovah.  Behold, therefore I will gather you unto your fathers, and you shall be gathered into your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place, and they brought the king word again.

“When now the king heard these words, he sent and gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.  And the king went up into the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people both small and great, and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of Jehovah.  And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah to walk after Jehovah and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes with all their heart, and all their soul to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book.  And all the people stood to the covenant,” 2 Kings 22:15-20 and 23:1-3.  And Josiah caused all who were to be found in Israel to serve Jehovah, and they did not depart from him as long as Josiah lived.

Here, dear reader, observe what kind of faith Josiah had, and what the fruits of it were.  He heard the word of Jehovah, and believed it.  He rent his clothes, inquired of the Lord and renewed the covenant because he heard what God had commanded in the same book; that they should not do according to their own thoughts; that they should not follow after strange gods, nor the abominations of the Canaanites and the other heathens which were dispersed before them, but they should serve Jehovah alone and cleave to him, and keep his commands as he directed them.  He was strong in Jehovah, resolved in a manly spirit, and acted valiantly in all his doings, for he believed and trusted God with all his strength; and with earnest zeal, he tore down all that his forefathers and former kings, out of their own imaginings and choice, had brought in and established as holy service.

He burned all the vessels of Baal and tore down all the groves, high places and altars in the land of Judea and Samaria.  He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom.  He destroyed the horses of the sun, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.  He broke down the altar of Bethel and offered the idolatrous priests and their dead bones upon them, as the man of God had proclaimed before times.  He destroyed all that was opposed to the law of God.  He kept the Passover of Jehovah as it was written in the book of the covenant, in such a glorious manner as no judge or king had kept it before.  He also put away all sooth-sayers and wizards, images, idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that they might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah, the High priest, found in the house of Jehovah, and there was no king like unto him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart and all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him, 2 Kings 23:24, 25.

Hear now, O, you great princes and kings, and all those who allow themselves to think that they are faithful lords and christian princes, my admonition is to you!  Have you any fear of God?  Any love to Christ or his blessed word?  Or is there yet any sincerity of nature with you who have understanding?  Then you know that you are not gods from heaven; but poor dying men of the impure, guilty seed of Adam.  Humble yourselves under the Almighty hand of God, and compare Josiah’s faith and works with your faith and works, in order that you may know how far you are from the Spirit and word of Christ, and that you bear nothing else than a mere, idle, vain, empty name.

Whilst Josiah was yet a child, and young in years, he feared God, and manifested a mature mind and understanding in all his works; but you, my dear lords, fear neither God nor the devil.  Cursed unbelief is your mother, and unrighteousness your sister.  In divine things you are blind, deaf and dumb; yes, during your whole lives, you are as destitute of understanding as children.

Josiah was eight years old when he was made king, and in the eighth year of his reign, he began to seek the God of his father David; but your seeking, from the cradle on, is solely for pomp and splendor, haughtiness of heart, wantonness, riding; sporting, killing, enlargement of your dominions, increase of patronage and treasure, fighting, warring, taxing and usury; to afflict the destitute and poor; to domineer one over another, and to live, with all your might, and openly, according to the lusts of the flesh.  The open deed testifies that I write the truth.

Josiah began, in the twelfth year of his reign, to purify Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, groves, idolatry and molten images, but you build them in every city, village, street and alley; upon every high mountain and in every deep valley, and whoever would admonish you with the Spirit and word of Christ must be a heretic and must tread the press of affliction.

Josiah was solicitous for the house of the Lord, and appointed and paid artificers to labor at it.  But you break down, and by your vindictive mandates, tyranny and the sword, oppose the house and dwelling of Christ, which is his church, which he has sanctified by his Spirit, cleansed by his blood, and adorned by the word, ordinances and sacraments of his Father.  You prevent it from being rebuilt in its apostolic clearness, and from becoming perfect in its doctrines, sacraments and conduct, according to the command of Christ and his holy word.

Josiah expelled all sooth-sayers and wizards.  He sacrificed the idolatrous priests upon their idolatrous altars, and burned their dead bones, &c., but the bones of the man of God from Judah, and of the prophets of Samaria, he did not burn.  But you sustain and cherish, as shepherds of the flocks of Christ and keepers of your souls, false prophets and deceiving priests; the greater part of whom are open drunkards, libertines and idolaters, full of all unrighteousness, covetous in heart, whose belly is their god, blind watchmen, and dumb dogs, who dishonor God, and destroy poor miserable souls.  You have them in preference in your courts and give them the highest seats at your tables.  They are honored with high names and great titles, and are greeted by every one as doctors, lords and masters.  You present them with splendid dwellings, great rents and possessions, and say, They who serve the gospel must live by the gospel; although they do nothing but place soft pillows and cushions under you, and preach according to the itching of your ears.  But the true, pious teachers and faithful servants of Christ, who sincerely seek your salvation and that of the whole world, who direct you to Christ, who rightly use his sacraments and ordinances, who desire to lead you and all men on the right way, and who walk unblamably, they must without mercy or christian modesty be persecuted by you, sentenced to [death by] fire and water, and must bear mockery and shame before all the world.

Josiah made a covenant with the Lord, and with all the elders, priests, prophets and common people, that they should serve Jehovah as long as they lived, &c.  But you have made your covenant with anti-christ and with all your preachers, priests, monk, judges and rulers, that the perverted, broad way should be pursued, the doctrines and institutions of men should be taught, followed and observed, instead of the true service of God.  To the people, doctrine, commands, Spirit, Supper, life and separation of Christ, you give no place, and whoever acts or speaks contrary to your abominations must lose his possessions or his life.

Josiah heard the word of the Lord and became contrite in heart; he rent his clothes and wept before Jehovah; he feared the coming wrath, because they and their forefathers had rejected the word of God.  But you, my dear lords, are so hardened and blinded, so bound by your sins and lusts of the flesh through cursed unbelief; so enchanted by the false prophets that we cannot, in the least, move your impenitent, hardened hearts, neither by the threatening law of the Lord, nor by his fierce wrath, and terrible judgement; neither by the devouring flames of hell and eternal death, nor by the peaceful gospel of grace, neither by the precious blood of Christ, nor by the pious, unblameable life of all the saints, who with their simple yes and no are daily murdered before your eyes as innocent sheep, on account of their faith and piety.  It is time that you awake, and take notice how you and we, with our forefathers; have so abundantly merited the righteous punishment and wrath of God.  May the merciful Lord grant you eyes that you may see.

Josiah turned to Jehovah with his whole heart, soul and might, but you dare proudly disregard the God who has created you, deny the Lord who has purchased you, and turn yourselves to dumb idols, to wood, stone, gold and silver images, to water, bread and wine, to the unprofitable doctrines and commandments of men, yes, to open abominations and idolatry, not observing that it stands written, “Idolaters shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,” Rev. 21:8.

Behold, dear sirs, the above is true; it is manifest by your pride, whoredom, carnal life, and by the ruins of burnt countries and cities, the great number of churches, cloisters, priests and monks, matins, vespers, and every other false worship.

Besides, when we, on account of the multitude of our sins, are visited with pestilence, famine, war, and other dangerous evils and plagues, your only remedies, to appease the wrath of God, and quench the burning fire of his anger, are idolatrous masses, processions, as they are called, dead bones, images, crucifixes and banners.  They, the papists I mean, bear these strange abominations, and follow after them with uncovered heads, folded hands, and burning wax candles, &c.  Therefore, you do not turn aside the fierce wrath, but augment it more and more, for Jehovah will not give his divine honor to works of man’s choice nor to any creature, neither does he accept any such masses, processions, crosses, images and abominations, nor regard them in his mind, as the prophet said.

Beloved sirs, repent.  The statute book of Christ is entirely lost to you.  Christ and his truth, sacraments, Spirit and life, you have never known nor possessed in the least degree.  You serve strange gods, you hear, follow and use the doctrine, sacraments, ordinances and commands of anti-christ; you lead an unclean, ungodly and carnal life.  O, sirs, take warning!  Your sins have arisen to heaven.

Although it is so little regarded by you, God grant it may be otherwise.  Yet this book of Christ, by the grace of God, has been found again by some.  The pure, unadulterated truth has come to light through the pure, unmingled gospel, and is daily read in your ears, and explained before your eyes with a godly, virtuous life, with an open confession, and above all, with much of the property and blood of the saints; yet your hearts continue so stony and hard that they cannot be converted or moved, neither by grace nor wrath; neither by adversity nor prosperity, as we have said.  Behold, thus has the blindness of Sodom, the darkness of Egypt, the hardening of Pharaoh through the righteous judgment of God, come upon our kings, princes, lords and rulers.

Dear sirs, awake!  And make haste, the trumpet is sounded, prepare yourselves!  Your mortal sickness and cankering, filthy wounds are shown to you.  I counsel you to allow yourselves to be helped.  You possess neither Christ nor his word.  Your controversy is against the Lamb and his chosen.  Your way is in darkness, and leads to the abyss of hell.  The wrath of the Lord has gone forth over you and your land, for you live more carnally and evil than can be imagined or described.

O, my dear sirs!  Reform, repent, so that you may stand before God; cleanse your hands and hearts before the Lord; change your pride into humility, and your mirth and joy into sorrow; rend your hardened hearts, and your garments.  Hear and seek Christ, and not anti-christ; implicitly obey Christ’s Spirit, doctrine, sacraments, commands and infallible example, and not the vain doctrines and commandments of men, for they corrupt and profit not.

Put away from among you, all offence, abominations and idolatry, masses, altars, infant baptism, the idolatrous bread, or supper (I mean such as is used by the world), images, confessions, the wanton sodomy and unchastity of the papistic priests and monks; destroy and root up all accursed heathen disgrace; such as brothels, every species of gambling, open houses of drunkenness, together with idolatrous temples, high places, groves, churches and cloisters, which were so numerously built contrary to the Scriptures by our forefathers, through blindness and ignorance.

We call on all poor, deceiving teachers and false sects, great and small, who are against the Spirit, ordinances, word and life of Christ, to repent sincerely and help us to resist, not by violence, tyranny or sword; as, alas! it is the custom with you, but by the Spirit of Christ, with doctrine, exhortation and similar virtuous services and mild means, so that they may turn from evil, and hear and follow Christ.

Permit all faithful messengers and servants of God to preach Christ, to use his sacraments and ordinances according to the Scriptures, lead a penitent and unblameable life, and gather unto Christ a glorious church that they may, through the Spirit and grace of God, according to the Scriptures, win and bring unto Christ an unspotted, pure virgin.

Again I say, reform!  You have erred and mocked God too long, and worshipped anti-christ instead of Christ too long; walked too long in the perverse and broad way of death.  Awaken!  It is yet today; behold, the true book of the law; the saving, pure gospel of Christ which was hid for so many centuries by the abominations of anti-christ is found.

Hear and read attentively, believe and observe it faithfully; it is the word of Jehovah God, which Jesus Christ, the first and only begotten Son of the Almighty Father, brought from heaven and taught to us.  Bow to his righteous sceptre, fear, love, serve, honor and follow him with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your powers, as did the pious Josiah.  For Jehovah our God is Lord of lords, and God of gods, a mighty and a terrible God, who does not regard person’s rank, nor takes a reward.

Yes, beloved lords, Can you thus convert yourselves with all your hearts?  Can you change your hearts and humble yourselves before God?  Can you deny yourselves, seek and follow Christ and his righteousness?  Will you renounce the world and flesh with all its lusts, as you have heard?  Then you will become true, spiritual kings, and priests; then you will possess your souls in peace, gain the victory and conquest over all the deadly enemies of your souls; you will live and die in grace.  Then you may in truth, without any hypocrisy, be called christian kings and believing princes.  The testimony of Peter to all christians, I say to all christians, is true, “You are a chosen generation, a holy nation, a peculiar people,” 1 Pet. 2:9.

But if you refuse this and remain what you are now, preferring perishing, temporal pleasures, joys and glory, to the imperishable, eternal joy and glory; I desire then that you would reflect upon what Sirach says, “Why are earth and ashes proud?  He that is today a king, tomorrow shall die,” Sir. 10:9.  Yes, what are they all, who are of Adam, but dust and ashes, a passing wind, a vapor, poor, miserable, mortal flesh, food for worms, yes men, and not God.  Sirs, take warning, awake and reform yourselves!  Our God is the Lord who will judge you.  Once more, take warning.

At the time when the Lord Jesus entered Capernaum, the servant of a centurion lay sick, whom he loved much.  When he heard that Jesus was there, he had the consent of some of the elders of the Jews, and sent them with a request to Jesus that he would come to him and restore his sick servant, and Jesus went with them.  And not being far from the house of the centurion, he sent some of his friends to him, who said, Lord, do not trouble yourself; for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof (here notice his humility), and I did not think myself worthy personally to call and see you, but speak the word, and my child shall be healed.  He acknowledged that all must bow to Christ and his word, and said, I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say unto one, Go, and he goes; and to another come, and he comes; and to my servant, do this, and he does it.  As if he would say to Christ, Behold, Lord, I am but a man, and have to serve the councils at Rome, nevertheless, I have so much power over my servants that they must obey what I command them; but you, Lord, are such a Lord that all the mighty have to bow to you, all that is in heaven above and on earth beneath must yield to you.  If you but command sickness and death, they will have to obey you, and leave my child.  And again, if you command health and life, they will have to return again.  Therefore, it is not necessary that you should come into the house of your unworthy servant; Lord, only speak the word, and my child will again be restored.  When Jesus heard these words, he was quite astonished, and said to the people that followed, Truly, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel, Matt. 8:5-13.

Behold, faithful reader, here you have the centurion as a living example, by which you may learn how a true christian faith humbles itself before God, and does not doubt his power, and how kindly and graciously he deals with his poor servants, be they male or female.  The centurion was moved with compassion towards his poor servant, and had great concern for him, sparing no pains to trouble the elders of the Jews to send to Christ and entreat him to come and heal his sick servant.  This is to the disgrace and shame of all false christians, and especially to many rich, some of whom are more severe on the poor servants and hirelings, and have less feeling for them, than they (with your leave) have for their domestic animals; for as soon as the servants sicken, so that they cannot perform all manner of drudgery, they are unmercifully turned out of doors, and sent to this or that asylum, or to their parents and friends, who sometimes, scarcely have a mouthful of bread or a bed in their houses.  Others again have to get a substitute in their place, while sick, and pay him out of their own earned pittance; and if they in health even do fulfil their engagements with hard and severe labor, still, some, of these unmerciful, blood-thirsty tyrants mistreat these innocent ones, who have to watch when they sleep, labor when they rest, run when they command, stand when they sit, in such a manner, as to take the greater portion of their earnings, or scandalize them; now, say they, a spoon is lost; anon a dish is broken; in short, they always speak evil of them and can never be pleased.  Yes, some of them would feed them upon water or straw, and pay them with the whip and chaff, even as they do their laboring oxen and horses, if they were not afraid and ashamed of men, for they would not be ashamed before God, alas, whom they do not know.  O, woe, unto such heathenish tyranny and unmerciful cruelty!

The centurion calls his servant his child, by which he manifests his paternal love and humility towards his poor servant: Though he was lord, and held in high honor, nevertheless, he did not exalt himself above his poor servant, for he well knew that one God created both of them, that they were born of one seed, and had one origin.  But what conduct such heathen christians manifest towards their oppressed servants, their actions, alas, openly show!

How lamentably some of the poor children are despised by some of them.  How many disgraceful words have some of them to hear, and how many sore stripes to endure.  Their scolding and rash words continue from morning till night; some of them make their girls into prostitutes; yes, what shall I say more.  These poor children are regarded by them, and especially by the rich, as the poor, despised donkey, by the magnificent, fat horse, and the filthy pebbles by the beautiful pearls.  Ah! reader, it is all much worse than I can describe; it is indeed time that they would look into these things, and reflect more deeply upon love.

The centurion humbled himself before the Lord with all his heart, esteeming himself not worthy that Christ should come under his roof.  But our haughty, proud heathens strut about with puffed up hearts and extended necks, high-minded, idle, and daring; one boasts of his family, another of his wealth, a third of his wisdom, a fourth of his skill and beauty, &c.  But the innocent and meek Christ says, ‘Learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart,’ and they falsely boast that they have his name, word, death and blood, yet they know it not.

The centurion believed that Christ was mighty and able, by his word, to do all that he desired; but this miserably benighted people esteem it not more than they do Lucian and Æsopian fables.  Hence it is that they lead such an impenitent, carnal life, and use such idolatrous sacraments and false worship, and have departed so far from the true King’s highway.  Still, they could be the true, apostolic, and believing church of Christ; but even as Christ testified to the centurion that he had not found such faith in Israel; so we might, on the other hand, testify and say of this people that such a heedless, cruel, haughty, proud, and unmerciful unbelief is unknown among the heathen, and is not to be found with them, who never heard of the word of Christ.  Behold, thus does the righteous Lord let those err and fall into blindness of heart, who so little regard his most holy word, who hate and thrust his fatherly grace, goodness, Spirit, knowledge and faith from them.

But it is not so with you, my most beloved.  Take this sincere, pious centurion as an example; imitate him in his faith, love, humility and virtues, and be as solicitous for your servants as he was for his servants; teach, admonish and reprove them with a paternal spirit, as often as they err.  Set them an unblameable example, in all righteousness and piety; have compassion with their severe labor; comfort them in their poverty; comfort them and grieve them not; supply them with their necessary wants, food and their earned hire, and do not curtail them.  Protect them in all honorable things; do not rebuke them without cause, lest they become timid; do not drive them away from you, but let them unmolestedly serve out their time as agreed, lest the name of the Lord be blasphemed.  Be at all times friendly towards them, and if they are weak and sick, assist and minister unto them; get others to serve in their place, without detriment to them, till the Lord takes them hence, or restores them to health.  Sympathize with them, and be merciful; assist them in all their needs; do not lift your hearts above them, nor despise them, for they are your brethren according to the flesh.  In short, be so minded in love towards them as Christ Jesus is towards us.  At all times remember that we also have a Lord in heaven, before whose judgment seat we must all appear and render on account of all our works.

But if they are wanton and obstinate, and will not hear your word and command, nor follow your admonition and counsel; would rule and not serve; waste their time and do not labor industriously; are unfaithful, rebellious and troublesome; roguishly ruin your family and children, &c.; then arrange with them to bring the matter, touching their wages, before two or three witnesses, so that the blame may not rest upon you, and the word of the Lord is not blasphemed.  In such a case then, let them be dismissed, that your good conscience is not disturbed on their account, and your house and children do not become depraved.  Yes, my brethren, you should do to your poor hirelings, even as you desire that it should be done to you, being called with them.  This the law and the prophets teach.

═════════════════

Luke says that “Jesus entered and passed through Jericho; and behold, there was a man, named Zaccheus, who was the chief among the tax collectors, and he was rich; and he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not for the crowd, because he was of little stature; so he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree (or as some say, into a wild fig tree), to see him; for he was to pass that way; and when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at your house,’ and he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully, and said unto the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I will restore him four fold; and Jesus said unto him, ‘This day has salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he is also a son of Abraham,’” Luke 19:1-9.

Paul says, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our instruction; and though we know Zaccheus’ faith, fruit, mercy, love and true conversion, it avails us nothing, if we do not practice and come up to his faith, with its contrite, pious fruits.  I therefore entreat all my readers who live openly in sin; all the wealthy, avaricious, unrighteous merchants and grocers, all financiers and bankers, all who love money; judges, lawyers, advocates, preachers, priests and monks, all drunken landlords, together with all those who deal in unlawful gain; I entreat all by the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that they would well consider, with an understanding heart, this history and narrative touching Zaccheus, in order that they may learn from it that they do not yet possess the right, true faith and that christianity which avails with God; and that they have nothing but a fruitless, vain boasting of Christ and of faith.

Zaccheus was chief of the tax collectors, and he received Christ joyfully in his house and heart.  He believed and was renewed; he reformed his life, and departed from his former evil ways.  That our open transgressors do not yet reform their old, ungodly lives, and that they do not desire Christ and his faith, however much they may boast, is as clear as the light of day.

Zaccheus was rich, and one half of his wealth he gave to the poor.  But our rich people seek more and more, how they may increase their money and possessions, build their houses splendidly, and add farm to farm.  They do not defend the cause of the poor and needy; are unmerciful, proud, avaricious and wanton; do not remember what is written concerning them, “Go now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you; your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten; your gold and silver is cankered, and the rest of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as if it were fire,” James 5:1-3.  Neither do you reflect on what David says, “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like the green bay tree; yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found,” Psm. 37:35,36.  Ah!  What a hard saying which the Lord uttered, “Woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation,” Luke 6:24, and “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God,” Matt. 19:24.

Zaccheus said to the Lord, “If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I will restore to him four fold,” but our miserably avaricious, never cease from defrauding their neighbor.  For the whole broad world, both man and woman; are so greedy after unlawful, shameful gain that it cannot be imagined nor related.

Lords and princes daily invent new devices and practices that they may increase their dominions, interests, tolls and rents.  They tag, shave, grasp and rob without any mercy or bounds; they draw the very marrow from the bones of the poor, and show by their actions that they are companions of those of whom it is written, “Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves,” Isa. 1:23.  O, that he knew Christ, would repent, cease to do evil, and would reflect more on love.

Judges, lawyers and advocates also seek all artifice to get unlawful gain; with few exceptions they all serve for gifts and money, for if they did not expect profit or gain, I am persuaded that burgomasters and judges would be few in the whole empire.  For the sake of gain, they sit and judge, and they often encourage causes for the sake of a fee.  Some of them pervert law and right for the sake of a gift, and do not reflect on what Jehoshaphat said to the judges, “Take heed what you do; for you judge not for man, but for Jehovah, who is with you in the judgment; therefore, now let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts,” 2 Chr. 19:6,7.

Captains, knights, servants and similar bloody men, are ready to serve for the sake of gain, and swear with uplifted fingers that they will destroy cities and countries, take citizens and inhabitants, kill them and take their possessions from them, although they never harmed them, nor gave them any provocation.  O, God!  What execrated, ungodly abominations and traffic.  And still it must be said that they protect the country and people, and that they assist in administering justice!

Priests, monks and preachers are equally bent upon unlawful gain.  They are not shocked to make God’s only and first begotten Son, his eternal, Almighty Word and Wisdom, the one and only everlasting foundation of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, with his holy apostles, to be open, false witnesses, heretics, and deceivers; for Christ says, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved,” Mark 16:16.  But they say, He that believes and is baptized is a heretic, and shall be damned.  Christ says, “But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments,” Matt. 19:17.  But they say, None can keep God’s commandments.

Paul says, If you live according to the flesh you shall die; Rom. 8:13.  Again, the unrighteous, drunkards, the avaricious, the haughty, the unchaste and similar, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9,10.  But they say, We are poor sinners; who can always live as the Scriptures teach?  Christ died for sinners, and similar consolations, by which they deny Christ and his word, and thus encourage the whole world, rich and poor, small and great, in their hardened and wicked life, that there are, alas, few who truly repent, or seek after God.  They preach what the ignorant blind world desires, that they may quietly enjoy the reward of Balaam (their cloisters and stipends, I mean), that they may lead an epicurian life without care; for they, poor creatures, do not know that they are those of whom it is written, “Woe unto them!  For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah,” Jude 1:11, accursed people, 2 Pet. 2.  O, my God, that they would beware!

The unrighteous merchants and grocers (I say the unrighteous, for I do not mean those who are righteous and pious), together with all those who deal avariciously and penuriously, are so bent upon accursed gain that they exclude God from their hearts.  They censure what they should properly praise, and praise what they should censure; they lie and swear; use many vain words; adulterate their merchandise to cheat the people, and to take what is not their own; they sell, lend and take surety from the needy at exorbitant gain and usury, never seriously reflecting nor taking to heart that it stands written, “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter,” 1 Thes. 4:6.

I would that they might more seriously lay to heart the doctrine of Sirach, “A merchant shall hardly keep himself from doing wrong; and a huckster shall not be freed from sin; many have sinned for a small matter, and he that seeks for abundance will turn his eyes away; as a nail sticks fast between the joinings of the stones, so does sin stick close between buying and selling.  Unless a man hold himself diligently in the fear of the Lord, his house shall soon be overthrown,” Eccl. 26:29; 27:1-3.

This I write as a warning to the god-fearing merchants and grocers, so that they will not imitate the ungodly, lest they be overcome by avarice, but be circumspect in dealing and beware of dangers.

Some are made thieves, some murderers, others jugglers, necromancers, some are whore-mongers, others gamblers, others are betrayers, others become executioners and tormentors, and also some persecutors and slayers of the pious, &c., and all this for the sake of accursed gain, by which they openly testify (because they walk in such a way and are so bent upon unlawful gain), that they are of the devil and not of God, that they do not have the faith and word of Christ, but in every respect are inimical and opposed to this.

Yes, kind reader, the whole world is so contaminated and involved in this accursed avarice, fraud, false practices and unbecoming gain, in this false traffic and merchandise, with this finance, usury, and self-interest that I scarcely know how it could be worse; yet they are still the priest’s and preacher’s christians, and are said to earn their bread honestly, and to do justice to all.

Ah!  My reader, how different all this is from the faith, disposition and converted life of Zaccheus.  For if they had the mind, faith and power of Zaccheus, which we must have, if we would ever be saved, it is my opinion that few lords and princes would continue in their violence and wanton lives; few riders (knights) and servants [would continue] in their ungodly service and deeds of blood; few judges, lawyers and advocates [would continue] in their courts and offices; few rich persons [would continue] in the unlawful use of their riches; few merchants and grocers [would continue] in their usurious and dangerous trade; and few preachers, priests and monks would continue in their incomes, stipends and cloisters.  There would soon be a different state of things; because it cannot be, but that the righteous live by faith.  Yes, they would, with joyful heart, say with Zaccheus, The poor we willingly serve with our goods, and if we have defrauded any one, we will gladly satisfy him.

All who, like Zaccheus, rightly receive Jesus Christ in the house of their consciences; rightly receive the word of Christ as he did, and be also truly born through the word; are rightly influenced by the Spirit of Christ; and are of the same mind with him, it is impossible that they could defraud any one even of a farthing; for we see that the disposition and usage of all true believers is to injure none on earth; but, as much as in them is, to assist all; to defraud none, but to do justice to all.  As Paul says, “Let him that stole, steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good; that he may have to give to him that needs,” Eph. 4:28.

But why say much?  For my part I do not know where to find the mighty and the rich; in what courts we can find judges, lawyers and advocates; and in what cities and countries, merchants and grocers; or what cloisters and churches we can look for preachers, priests and monks, who rightly believe and follow Christ; who, being regenerated, penitent and pious, desist from all improper practices, fraud, craftiness, robbery, and unlawful gain, and say with Zaccheus, Those whom we have defrauded we will repay fourfold.  The prophet complains that every one, from the least even unto the greatest, is given to covetousness, Jer. 8:10.

Since then they are determined upon accursed, abominable avarice, and unlawful gain, and deal so rudely and plainly contrary to love, and none any where repent, hence, it is evident that they are not in the church of Christ, for the church of Christ is called his body and bride in the Scripture.  If the church be his body, she must then be flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone; and if she be his bride, she must be of his generation: be righteous, holy, meek, chaste, true, lovely, merciful; yes, hear and be obedient to his voice.  Therefore, Christ cannot admit any other members into his church except those who are of one heart, spirit and soul with him, partakers of his Spirit; who are dead to all unrighteousness, bury the old evil life of sin, walk by faith, unblamably in love, receive the truth joyfully, and willingly serve their neighbor, as did this believing, regenerated and renewed Zaccheus.

He desired to see Christ, and received him with joy; he believed his word, and abandoned his ungodly life; he ministered to the poor, and reconciled those whom he had defrauded.  In short, he proved himself to be a pious, sincere, regenerated child of God in all his actions; therefore he heard the peaceable, joyful word of divine grace, “This day has salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham,” Luke 19:9.

Behold, worthy reader, those who believe, are penitent and renewed as Zaccheus was, and walk in love, belong to the church and body of the Lord, as Christ himself says, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  They are the living stones of the Lord’s temple, and the true citizens of Jerusalem; in which neither sorcerers, nor whore-mongers, nor murderers, nor idolaters, nor whosoever loves and makes a lie, have part.  Yes, as long as Zaccheus was such a one, he was without; for such, says Paul, have neither lot nor part in the kingdom of God and of Christ.

But as soon as he believed the word of the Lord, through faith he repented and turned himself to love; from that hour he was entitled to citizenship with Christ himself; the path of life was opened to him, peace declared, salvation bestowed, and he was acknowledged and received as a joint heir of grace, and a child of God, as the Lord says, This day has salvation come to this house, &c.  For as Christ is holy, so must also his children, brethren, members, church and bride be holy; for it is written, Be holy, for I am holy, Lev. 11:45, 19:2 & 20:7, 1 Pet. 1:16.

═════════════════

The evangelists teach that there were two malefactors crucified with Christ; the one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  “Then one of the evil-doers who was impaled with Him blasphemed Him and he said, “If you are the Messiah, save yourself and also save us.”  But his companion rebuked him, and he said to him, “Are you not also afraid of God, for you are also condemned with Him?  And we justly, because we are deserving to be repaid according to what we have done; but this One, nothing bad was done by Him.”  Then he said to Jeshua, “My Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  Jeshua said to him, “Truly, I say to you, that day you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43.

Good reader, observe particularly what I write.  When we critically view the confession of this evil doer, we are astonished at the great power, the good nature, the abundance of fruit, spiritual vision, energetic love and the free confession of his faith.  It is evident that he had been an abandoned, ungodly reprobate, who neither knew nor feared God, but maliciously committed all manner of sins, robbed his neighbor of his goods and shed his blood.  Matthew and Mark call him a murderer, and Luke calls him a malefactor.  This appears to be the case, as he testifies himself that he had to die for crimes which he had committed.

Notwithstanding all this, as soon as this malefactor, extended on the cross between Jerusalem and Mount Calvary, heard in his last distress, the word of God from the mouth of the Lord, it wrought in him so powerfully that his heart within him was touched and changed, which led him to seek, from that moment, the salvation of his fellowmen and rebuked his reviling companion, saying, Are you not afraid of God?  He confessed his own sins and his maliciousness, saying, We are receiving according to our merits and works; and he acknowledged the condemned Jesus (who was cursed to die on the cross as one of the most abandoned malefactors by the chief priests, pharisees and scribes, and denied by the people and condemned to death), to be innocent, righteous, pure and without sin, saying, This one has done no evil.  Besides this, he also sought grace and mercy from God’s Son, although it appeared to human understanding that he was denied all mercy, and every favor both by God and man.  For he was at this time the most rejected and despised of all men, as the prophet laments, Isa. 53:6, and the thief applied to none other, in heaven or upon earth, than to this poor, innocent, calumniated, banished and crucified Jesus; in full confidence drawing near to him, as the throne of divine grace, that he might obtain the remission of his sins, saying, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

I think this may justly be called a true christian faith; and a truly worthy fruit of penitence and repentance; and it was nothing else to the Lord, but a refreshing of his thirsty soul, as a mollifying of his deep wounds, as a consolation of his sore distress, and as a comfort in his painful sufferings and cruel death.  And he, in the same hour, heard the consoling, joyful word of divine grace and eternal peace from Jesus, namely, Do not fear, all your sins which you committed in your ignorance are covered, they shall never again be remembered, either by me or my Father.  I pledge my innocent blood as security; therefore, be of good cheer, what you desire, you have already obtained: “I say to you that you shall be with me in Paradise.”

Behold my reader, here you have, in the malefactor mentioned, a fair example of a sincere, christian faith, with its properties, disposition, nature, power and fruits.  With this same murderer, many vain despisers comfort and flatter themselves in their sinful and impenitent lives, think and say to themselves, God is merciful; he knows that we are the children of Adam, if we do not live as the Scriptures teach, and as they would have us live, yet we hope, by the grace of God to be saved, as was this murderer.  These poor creatures do not know that the thief will be a sore condemnation to them; because they hear the word of the Lord so often, and do not believe it, neither are they obedient to this.  Ah reader! Do not thus mock God; I fear many will fail in their hopes in this matter.

Again, I say that all wilful despisers, who thus say and think in their hearts must be eternally convicted by this thief, and shall stand confounded, for as soon as he heard the gospel of grace, he received it in a pure conscience, through faith, and became penitent, regenerated and pious.  And these hear it from year to year, see daily so many fair fruits, and that it is so gloriously testified by possessions and blood; nevertheless, they remain unbelievers and are hardened in sin; for they reject the inviting grace, they resist the operating Spirit, they contemn the preached word; they trample under foot the proffered gift, and say, where are the Scriptures by which we may comfort such unreasonable, shameful scorners, or promise and proclaim to them the grace and peace of the Lord?

I fear they are the sterile, unfruitful earth of which Paul speaks, which drinks in the rain of the holy, divine word that comes often upon it, and nevertheless, bears only thorns and thistles; are rejected and near unto cursing, which are to be burned.  They are those of whom Solomon laments and says, “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?  And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.  Because I have called and you refused; I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded; but you have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.  I will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes and when distress and anguish comes upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer,” Prov. 1:22-28.  But because they do not look for light, he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

The murderer believed as soon as he heard.  O!  That they would do so; and think upon what Paul said, “Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation,” Heb. 3:l5.

The murderer heard only once and believed, and these hear it so often, and yet they do not believe.  He heard and was changed; but these hear and continue the same, and harden their hearts yet more and more.

He reproved his reviling companion, and admonished him that he should fear God; but these blaspheme and revile all the faithful who do so; and love those who hate the truth.  He unreservedly confessed his sins and wickedness, without fear; but these, no matter however avaricious, drunken, proud, unchaste, unclean, envious and idolatrous they are, do not confess their transgressions and sins, and when called to repent and reform, they say, Yes, what have we done?

He acknowledged that Christ’s kingdom was not earthly, for he said, When you come into your kingdom; but these have all their pleasures in gold and silver, in eating and drinking, in splendor and wantonness, and in the perishable, visible riches of the world; they do not regard the invisible, eternal riches, which Christ out of grace, has bestowed upon all his believers, and merited them by the shedding of his precious blood.

He confessed the poor, condemned, crucified Jesus before all the rulers, priests, Pharisees and before the people, and acknowledged him as his Savior and Lord; but these, alas! deny his Almighty Majesty, his heavenly origin and glory, and do not regard his judgment, Spirit, word, ordinances, commands, sacraments and promises, although he has seated himself as a triumphant and conquering prince, at the right hand of the Father, and has received all power, both in heaven and upon earth, in the eternal glory of the Father.

He sought mercy, favor and the forgiveness of his sins from Christ; but these seek it from their preachers, priests and monks through masses, confessions, absolution, bread and wine, holy water and similar superstitions and abominations.

Because he believed in Christ, he heard the pleasing words, You shall be with me in Paradise; but because they do not believe in Christ, these shall hear the dreadful, intolerable and awful sentence, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.  Their faith was unlike his, as will also be their reward.  Let all mockers take this to heart.

And thus, take notice: finally this penitent sinner will rise up against those who have comforted themselves with him in their sins, and incriminate and condemn them before the face of his Majesty.  For they, having so often heard the sweet melody of the divine word, and were never grateful, nor ever learned or believed it with open and renewed hearts; while the murderer heard it but once, and immediately believed.  Ah! Dear children, beware!  Seek Christ while he may be found, and call on him while he is yet near, lest his anger go forth, and the fire of his fierce wrath consume you.

Do you think, O, perverted scorners, that you can receive or reject, faith, repentance, sorrow for sin, and the grace of God, at your pleasure?  O, no!  Holy Paul says, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,” Rom. 1:28.  That sentence shall be passed upon all proud scorners.  Children beware!

Notice this parable.  There is a very rich potentate, emperor or king, whom I, through great ignorance, hated all my days.  He had compassion upon me, and because I am such a poor man, he, through his faithful servants, tendered me not only his favor and friendship, but also a great sum of gold, many precious stones and gems, and all this out of love and compassion.  But I am so ungrateful that I will not only not give meat and drink to the faithful servants of this kind prince, who loves me dearly, for these great favors; but I turn them out of doors with ignominy and disgrace, throw mud and stones at them, put them into prison and bonds, deprive them of property and life, take the proffered gifts, place them in a closet, and trample the servants under foot, &c.  I inform the prince that I do not now desire his presents, but if he will, in the course of one or ten years offer them again, then I will perhaps, make up my mind and receive them and tender my thanks for the favors.  Now, I will allow you all to judge, whether it would be right that such a prince should again offer his favor, since I treated him and his servants so perfidiously?  Or whether he should not much more turn his favor into displeasure, and his love into wrath toward me, for my presumptuous tyranny, haughty rejection of his favors, and severely punish me?  I think, you would award me his punishment and not his grace.

Thus it is with you, O, you scorners!  The merciful Lord, whose riches and grace are immense, has graciously pitied us in these abominable last days, and had compassion on our great blindness and deadly poverty, although we hated his holy will from our infancy.  Through his faithful servants, he freely offered us his beloved Son with his holy word, Spirit, merits, ordinances and example, tendered us his grace, peace and eternal life, kingdom, inheritance, joy and glory, together with the remission of our sins; he dug about us and fostered us, all barren trees, for many years.  He calls and teaches daily through his chosen, who willingly sacrifice possession and life as a testimony; he puts at variance the father against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the members of the family against one another, and friend against friend, &c.  Some he suffers to be driven about into strange countries, in tribulation, in sorrow, in misery, in fear, in want, in vexation, in deserts, in mountains, in dens and in caves of the earth.  He gives signs in the sun, moon, and the stars in heaven; in earthquakes, war, pestilence, new diseases, famine, and unheard of wonders upon the earth.  As a hen gathers her chickens, he would gather us under the wings of his love; and as a faithful shepherd of his sheep, he would bring us to the right fold of his grace; bring us into the chamber of his covenant, and kiss us with the lips of his peace; wash us from all our uncleanness, and make us his bride; redeem us from the dominion of hell and death, and lead us into the kingdom of heaven, and of eternal life.  In short, he would release us from the power of darkness and the devil, and receive us and make us holy, as his chosen children and heirs.

But, alas, in relation to you, it is altogether vain; as already said, his proffered grace and word you reject; you persecute and kill his faithful servants and ministers; you defame and blaspheme the unblameable, pious life, together with the confession of the saints; you scoff at his great signs, wonders and reproofs, and your faces are like those of the lecherous, and your hearts as hard as diamonds.  You are neither ashamed, nor will you be converted; you say with perverted scorners, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of your ways.  What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?  And what profit should we have, if we pray to him? Job 21:14,15.

Since you are so ungrateful to your God, yes, are altogether vain and insulting towards him who has shown to us, from the beginning, such great mercy that you entirely reject and disregard his paternal admonitions, chastisings, doctrines, commands, obedience to his holy word, and the innocent blood of his saints, together with all his great powers and miracles.  Yes, you consider them as mere deception and heresy; you do not regard the day of grace; you inconsiderately trample under foot Christ and his holy Spirit, gospel, regenerations, faith, sacraments, death and blood, together with all his other spiritual riches and heavenly gifts.  You do not fear, seek, love, honor thank nor serve the Almighty, immortal, and only God; and still hope that you will be saved with the murderer.  I tell and warn you in sincere love, while it is yet today, that your hopes will not be realized, for when you think to find him, he will then hide himself from you; he will turn his fierce countenance upon you, as the Scriptures say, “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me,” Prov. 1:28.

I therefore entreat and exhort my readers in general; to hear while you have ears, and see while you have eyes; understand while you have hearts; awaken and watch while you have time and space, lest your ears, eyes, hearts, and opportunities be taken from you, and you become deaf, blind, impenitent, hardened and perverted.

Friends, beware!  Now it is today, yesterday is past; tomorrow is not promised us.  Short is the time; behold, the judge is at the door, therefore do not delay to turn unto the Lord, and do not defer it from day to day; for his wrath will soon overtake you.  Late repentance, says Augustine, is seldom true; but if true, it never is too late.  Repent while you enjoy health, says he, that you may be certain.

Therefore, do as the thief or murderer did, for as soon as he heard, he believed.

You also: thus hear, and thus believe, for the eyes of the Lord are upon the faithful.  The Savior says those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled; those who seek, shall find; those who ask, shall receive; those who knock, to them it shall be opened.  But if you refuse, when he seeks to bestow his grace upon you, he will also refuse when you seek him, and would long to obtain his grace.  “They that despise me,” says Jehovah, “shall be lightly esteemed,” 1 Sam. 2:30.

Therefore, seek while it is day, that you may find; ask, that you may receive; hear, that you may believe; believe, that you may do; and do, that you may live; for, from hearing, comes faith; out of faith, doctrine; on obedience, the fulfilment of the promise depends.

For this reason all things are imputed to faith in the Scriptures; such as true repentance, regeneration, sanctification of the heart; the righteousness which avails before God; the blessing of salvation and everlasting life; for faith is the source and cause of all good, as is fully related.

Seeing, then, that this is the true and proper ground of the Scriptures, as we have briefly explained, you will then have to confess that all wilful scorners are put to shame in their doings by the thief, and that he will be their accuser in the day of the Lord, as the Lord says of the Ninevites, and of the Queen of the South.

All who hear and believe the word of Christ, and are turned by the power of faith with all their hearts to Christ, acknowledge Christ openly by an unblameable, pious life before all the world, and confidently seek his grace and mercy, &c.  To them he is a glorious comforter, a precious balm and liniment in their troubled and wounded consciences, by which they may see and know God’s unbounded favor, mercy and love towards all truly penitent sinners, even if they have sinned ever so long and heinously.  They by faith may satisfy their souls with him, and not doubt the grace of God on account of their sinful lives in which they formerly walked; for the Lord did not withhold his grace, nor did he say, No, thief, your sins are too great and numerous, and you also have sinned too long.  But as soon as he saw his new heart, and heard him confessing, he bestowed his grace upon the poor, distressed sinner, and forgave him all his sins, and said, You shall be with me in Paradise; for he that believes in me has eternal life.  The prophet also says, If the wicked turns from his unrighteousness and does righteously, I will not remember his unrighteousness which he did. Eze 18:27,26, Isa 43:25.

═════════════════

Luke says, “Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” Luke 7:36-38.

Here we again learn, in the case of this sinner, what kind of a heart, disposition, fruit and life a sincere, true Christian faith produces.  She was possessed by seven devils (if she was the woman called Mary Magdalene, whom the evangelists mention), and as it appears, lived according to the inclinations of her flesh, for she is called a sinner in the Scriptures, so long as the Lord had not called her out of darkness into light, from lies unto truth.  As soon as she heard his word, she with eagerness received it in a sincere and renewed heart, by which she, who was a great sinner, became a penitent and pious woman.  Her unrighteous, carnal heart was so warmed and touched that her eyes streamed with tears, and she wet the feet of the Savior with them.  She used her hair as a towel to wipe his feet; her avarice was quelled; she anointed his head and feet with precious ointment, which might have been sold for three hundred denarius; her proud heart was humbled; she did not seek the highest seat at the table, but she sat mournfully at the feet of the Lord, and heard his blessed word.

When the Pharisee saw this, he murmured; Christ said to him, “Simon, do you see this woman?  I entered into your house, you gave me no water for my feet; but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.  You gave me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil; but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment.  Therefore I say unto you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little.  And he said unto her, Your sins are forgiven; your faith has saved you; go in peace,” Luke 7:44-48, 50.

Beloved reader, take notice that all the proud, haughty, avaricious, carnal and adulterous people who call themselves Christians, but who are by no means such, testify by their disposition, heart, mind and walk that they hate and are inimical to Christ, are shamed and reproved by this regenerated, penitent sinner in all their actions; for through her faith she changed her proud, haughty and obdurate heart into a humble, contrite and broken one.

They say that they believe, and yet there are no limits nor bounds to their accursed wantonness, foolish pomp, show of silks, velvet, costly clothes, gold rings, chains, silver belts, pins, buttons, curiously adorned shirts, handkerchiefs, collars, veils, aprons, velvet shoes, slippers and similar foolish finery; never regarding that the enlightened apostles, Peter and Paul have, in plain and express words, forbidden this to all christian women.  If this is forbidden to women, how much more then should men abstain from it, who are the leaders and heads of their women.  Notwithstanding all this, they still want to be called the christian church.

Every one makes an ostentatious display; yes, sometimes it goes beyond his ability to pay.  One is desirous to excel another in foppery, or at least to be equal with him.  And this does not reflect what is written, “Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world; and the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he that does the will of God abides for ever,” 1 John 2:15-17.

Again, I say, this sinful woman believed, and from that moment she was freed from her disgraceful sins, for the unclean devils were cast out, as you have heard.  But what abominable, disgraceful unchastity, adultery and fornication is practiced among many men and women who boast that they believe, in many cities and countries, is best known to him before whose eyes all things are open; and, alas, it is not wholly concealed before men.  It is manifest that the world is full of lasciviousness, adulterers, fornicators, sodomites, buggerers, bastards and illegitimate children, and, alas, it has come so far that they live at peace and liberty, notwithstanding that God commanded through Moses that both the adulterer and adulteress should die, Deu. 22:22; and that there should be neither whores nor whore-mongers in Israel.  The illegitimate children, even to the tenth generation, were not to be admitted into the congregation of the Lord.  And further, It was the express command and ordinance of God that if any one in Israel had intercourse with a virgin, who was not betrothed or engaged, he was compelled to marry her, if her father consented, and was not to put her away all his days, because he had humbled her, Exo. 22:16.

Ah!  Reader, reflect upon what the last command contains.  They all boast, however lascivious they are, that they are spiritual Israelites, that they have the truth, and are baptized in the name of Christ, and yet they are not ashamed to reduce their poor, weak sisters, who are comprised with them in the same faith, baptism, holy Supper and worship, to poor, deluded and degraded strumpets, against all Scripture and christian love; although God’s own word, and the quoted command tell them, that if they have lain with them, they must marry them and never forsake them.  If they would more seriously reflect upon these things, many a disgraced one would be saved of her shame, whereas now, many a child is so unmercifully disgraced and many a girl and virgin bereaved of her honor and virtue.

I write you the truth in Christ, you may believe it if you will.  If you are a christian, or would be one, and have seduced even one poor child with your subtle attempts and pretences, and if you would not lose your soul, you will have to marry her and not forsake her, nor cast her from you; for you have humbled her, as heard.  Behold, this is the Lord’s own word and law.  All, therefore, who knowingly despise this law of God, and reject the disgraced and marry another, will have to confess before God that the first one is his wife, and not the last one.  O, you violators of female chastity, reflect upon these things and learn wisdom.

If you would say that this command has reference only to Israel and not to the christian, I would then ask you in the first place, whether you consider yourself to be a christian or not?  If you say no, then do all you can, and look for the judgment threatened to all who are out of Christ.  But if you say yes, then the matter is already decided, that she must be your wife.  For a christian must not live with a sister in such a manner as to make her a prostitute.  O, no!  The Scriptures teach that christians are members of Christ, and not whores and profligates.  I hope this blunt language will be understood.

In the second place I ask, Which of the two people should be the more holy and virtuous, the literal or the spiritual?  If you say the literal, then you have exalted Moses with his people and service above Christ, which thing is evidently opposed to all Scripture.  But if you say the spiritual, then the matter is again decided that she must be your wife.  The literal must not make his sister to be a prostitute, much less the spiritual, which is the Lord’s own body, brother, sister, generation and bride.

In the third place, I ask, Whether the command, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, is not given to the christians as well as to Israel?  If you say no you have denied the whole New Testament, which teaches and earnestly insists upon the love of our neighbor.  But if you say yes, then I say for the third time that she must be your legitimate wife.  Because you did, contrary to the command of love, so abominably disgrace and humble her, therefore, the Scriptures teach that you are to restore her to honor, and that you shall take her to be your wife.  Let every one see to it, the commands of love will ever remain.  Blessed are they who take heed to them and observe them in fear.

In the fourth place I ask, Whether there is any one who, with a good conscience, can transgress and break the command of God?  If you say yes, then you deny the Scriptures, which teach that we shall walk in the ways of the Lord and keep his commandments.  But if you say no, then I tell you the fourth time that she is, and must be your wife; for it is the command of God, firmly based upon love, that if you have lain with a virgin, you should marry her and never forsake her, as heard.

Behold, my reader, here you are more than plainly taught what the word of the Lord teaches in regard to this matter.  And if you continue so ungodly as to transgress the command of the Lord by disgracing one, and marrying another, you may read the consequences in 1 Cor. 6:9,10, unless you sincerely repent.

This I write, by no means, to encourage him who has, in days gone by, ignorantly done so, to leave the wife whom he afterward married, and take in her stead the disgraced one; not at all, for I do not doubt but that the merciful Father will graciously overlook the errors of those who have ignorantly done so, and who will henceforth fear, and willingly obey his commands.  But I write this, that every one should guard himself against such disgrace, and reflect more profoundly upon the command of the Lord and of love, and observe how Christ is so wholly neglected by the world; for, alas, they are generally influenced by their accursed lusts, whether they are lords, princes, priests, monks, noble or ignoble, citizens or peasants; with few exceptions, they are so much inflamed that they follow this unbecoming, devilish disgrace of accursed lechery, like the dog pursues the hare.  They are, says Jeremiah 5:8, as fed horses in the morning, every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.  There is nothing that can deter or prevent them from this accursed abomination, neither natural honor, nor Moses, with all his threatenings, neither the prophets, nor Christ Jesus himself, nor the apostles, neither heaven nor the angels; yes, neither hell nor devil; neither life nor death; if they can only satisfy their unchaste, disgraceful lust, then all is well with them.

They are wholly bent upon this; some they seduce with fair words, others by false promises and gifts, some by giving them wine to drink; by dancing, and songs of levity, some by courteous flattery, by amorous tenderness, and similar artifice; yes, some deceive by their affected sighings and weepings, so that they can only accomplish their ungodly designs, and gratify their lusts, then all is right, and they rejoice.  But they do thereby incense Almighty God, transgress his holy word, disgrace their neighbor, do violence to the law of love, defile the marriage bed, violate virgins, have illegitimate children and destroy their poor souls eternally; about all this they care nothing.  They say, this is our portion and our lot and nothing else.

I, therefore, say with Moses, cursed be they by God, who do works of iniquity; and all the people shall say, Amen.  And with Job, that hell will consume them, as drought and heat consume the snow waters; with Paul, that God will judge them; and with John, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the eternal (second) death.  Ah!  That these poor people would take heed, believe and observe the words of the Lord.

In the second place, I write this; that every one might awaken, sincerely repent, and weep over his past disgraceful conduct before God, lest he cast him off eternally; but be gracious to him for the sake of the blood of his Son; and no more defile the bed of his neighbor, nor disgrace virgins, but live in all honor, each with his own wife; that the unmarried keep free from lechery, and if he cannot restrain himself, let him seek a pious wife in the fear of God.  And he that has transgressed, and has not taken another, that he honor the disgraced one, and according to christian love and the word of God, extricate her from her degraded state; thus teaching their children, and children’s children, from generation to generation, even as Tobias did his Son, saying, Beware of all whoredom, my son, and do not take a strange woman, but keep to your own wife.

“Do you not know,” says Paul, “that your bodies are the members of Christ?  Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot?  God forbid,” 1 Cor. 6:15.  Again, he says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel (body) in sanctification and honor; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the gentiles which do not know God, for God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness,” 1 Thes. 4:3-7.  Yes, good reader, true believers have to lead an honorable and chaste life; that not as much as adultery, lechery, and unchastity be privately or openly mentioned among them; if any one among them, only mention it, it is an abomination, for thus it becomes the saints to live.

As we find many wicked men who shamefully seduce poor, simple hearts; so on the other hand we find impudent women and girls, who are often the first cause that such disgrace is sought and sometimes practiced upon them.  Although many are not guilty of the deed, nevertheless they are not guiltless, in that they make so free with other men and associates in open triflings, singing, dancing, drinking, kissing, courting, flirting, and similar vanity and abominations, by which they kindle the fire of base passions, which continue till consumed, as may be seen.

O, how properly Sirach admonishes us, when he says, “Do not meet with a harlot, lest you fall into her snares; use not much the company of a woman that is a singer, lest you be taken with her attempts; gaze not on a maid, that you do not fall by those things that are precious in her; do not give your soul unto harlots, that you do not lose your inheritance; do not look round about you in the streets of the city, neither wander in the solitary places of it; turn your eye away from a beautiful woman, and do not look upon another’s beauty; for many have been deceived by the beauty of a woman; for herewith love is kindled as a fire.  Do not sit at all with another man’s wife, nor sit down with her in your arms, and do not spend your money with her at the wine; lest your heart incline unto her, and so through your desire, you fall into destruction,” Sir. 9:3-9.

Were it now so, that the aforementioned married and unmarried women were true believers, even as was the sinful woman, they would then also fear the Lord, they would abandon all vanity and ungodly actions, and lay snares for none, nor give any occasion for evil.  Yes, they would walk honorably and modestly; avoid all manner of pride and superfluity, and make, or desire no other clothes than those necessary and comfortable for their daily labor.  They would not frequent the idolatrous temple and idle banquets, for which occasions this pompous show is generally gotten up.

The repentant woman adorned her soul and not her outward appearance, for she believed; but these adorn their bodies, and not their souls, for they do not believe.

The repentant woman sighed and wept, was afraid of the wrath and judgment of the Lord, for she saw that she had done wrong, and sinned; but these laugh and sing, dance and prance about, and do not see their enormous misdeeds and great sins, and therefore, they do not fear the wrath and judgment of the Lord.

She was compassionate and merciful; anointed the head and the feet of the Lord, and found the true worship; but these are unmerciful and cruel, and know of no other worship than to go to the chapel to receive holy water; to offer tapers and wax candles to blind blocks and images; to offer masses and vespers; to call upon the departed saints for help; to confess once or twice a year to their idolatrous, drunken, lascivious priests; to receive their bread of abomination and absolution, and similar superstitions and delusions.

The repentant woman sought the company of the righteous; but these seek the company of the unrighteous.  They visit each other to talk all manner of foolishness; to injure their neighbor’s reputation; to defame and backbite; to speak disgracefully of one another, speak of costly furniture, houses, goods and handsome companions, men and fine clothing.  In short, their works openly show that they do not have the faith of the repentant woman, and belong not to the congregation of the righteous.

The repentant woman sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his holy words; but these hear teachers who can tickle their ears, and preach to please them.  In short, why need I say much?  It is, O, God!  So corrupted that we find the whole world filled with foolish men and women, I mean spiritually deaf ears and unenlightened hearts.  The blind are leading the blind, and they will all fall into the pit of eternal death, unless they are enlightened, if we believe it to be true what the mouth of the Lord has taught us; for their doctrine, sacraments, and worship are altogether false; their unbelief and carnality prevail every where.

Behold, reader, here take notice, how vastly this repentant woman differs after conversion in her faith and conduct, from the faith and conduct of the world.  They are like that sinful woman before her conversion, but not after her conversion.  Whether such are believers, I will leave the sensible reader to reflect upon this with the Spirit and word of the Lord.

I know for a certainty that a proud, haughty, avaricious, selfish, unchaste, lecherous, wrangling, envious, disobedient, idolatrous, false, lying, unfaithful, thievish, defaming, backbiting, blood-thirsty, unmerciful and revengeful man, whosoever he may be, is no christian, even if he was baptized one hundred times, and attended the Lord’s Supper daily; for it is not the sacraments, or the signs, such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper, but a sincere, christian faith, with its unblameable, pious fruits, represented by the sacraments, that makes a true christian and has the promise of life.

Here, neither masses, holy water, holy days, rosaries, auricular confession nor absolution avail; only a believing, contrite, broken heart, spirit and mind, a penitent, changed, new heart, a pious life, dead unto sin, according to the truth will avail.  Such was the confession and repentance of this sinful woman, and she also heard immediately, Your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

But the abominable auricular confession, which is so highly esteemed by the world, is nothing but hypocrisy, human righteousness and superstition, open delusion of unbelievers, a false hope for the impenitent sinner, and a subtle invention for gain by the avaricious priests, by which they set aside true confession and repentance, and comfort and encourage the world in their reckless, ungodly life.

But if you would rightly confess and repent, and receive true absolution from God, then approach him with a believing, penitent, regenerated heart and with a sorrowing, broken, distressed mind.  Quit sinning, do justice to your neighbor, love, aid, serve, reprove and comfort him, and if you have sinned against him, or deceived him, acknowledge it to him and reconcile with him.  Behold, this is the only true confession and penance which is taught in the word of God.  The Lord grant that you may rightly understand, and perform this confession and repentance.

I, therefore, entreat and desire all women, through the mercy of the Lord, to take this repentant, sorrowing woman as a pattern and follow her faith.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and reprove your avarice, pride, obscenity and all manner of evil.  Let all your thoughts be pure, and let your words be circumspect and seasoned.  And whatsoever you do, do that in the name and fear of the Lord Jesus, and do not adorn yourselves with gold, silver, costly pearls, and embroidered hair; but dress yourselves in such apparel as becomes women professing godliness, and which is serviceable.  Be obedient to your husbands in all reasonable things, so that those who do not believe may be gained by your upright, pious conduct without saying a word, as Peter says.

Remain within your houses and gates, except when you have something of importance to do, such as attending to your temporal concerns, to administer to the needy, to hear the word of the Lord, or to attend upon his holy sacraments, &c.  Attend faithfully to your charge, to your children, house and domestics, and to all that is commanded of you, and walk in all things like the sinful woman did after her conversion; that you may be true daughters of Sarah, believing women, sisters of Christ, and joint heirs of a future life, 1 Pet. 3:6; then you shall hear the gracious words, Your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

═════════════════

Matthew writes that Jesus was in the land of Gennesaret, and says, “Then Jesus went from there and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, you son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil; but he answered her not a word.  And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away, for she cries after us; but he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.  But he answered and said, It is not right to take the children’s bread and to cast it to the dogs; and she said, True, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.  Then Jesus answered and said to her, Woman, your faith is great; let it be unto you even as you will.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour,” Matt. l5:21-28.

Here you again have a fine example and pattern of a sincere, christian faith; for when this woman perceived how powerfully Jesus preached grace, and hearing besides that he could do what he desired, that he manifested love and mercy, and that he sent none away comfortless, she unhesitatingly approached him, not doubting his grace, mercy, love and power, although she was not heard at the first or second request.  She was importunate both in her faith and prayer, with such a desire that she might partake of the spiritual crumb of his mercy, and obtain relief for her poor daughter.  Yes, she manifested such a faith, constancy, humility and piety, that the Lord said to her, “Woman, your faith is great; let it be unto you even as you will.”

Faithful reader, observe; were we with spiritual eyes rightly to look upon this woman’s faith and fruits, we would be aptly taught by her, especially in two particulars:

For as soon as she heard that the Lord taught pure mercy, grace, repentance and reformation, preached the kingdom of God, raised the dead, made the blind see, the deaf hear, the cripples walk, the leprous clean, healed the sick, and cast out unclean spirits; that he reproved the scribes, pharisees and the common people for their unbelief, perverseness, blind hypocrisy and carnal lives, and testified that he was the prophet and Messiah, promised in the law and the prophets, by which his fame spread abroad through all Judea and the adjacent countries; hearing all this, her tender heart and mind were so turned to him through such testimonies, miracles, doctrines and deeds of love, that she did not doubt his mercy, power, goodness and grace.  She therefore went to him with a sincere desire, in sure and true faith, trusting with all her heart that he would not deny her humble prayer, but that he would graciously hear and grant it; and she also obtained what she desired.

She heard and believed; she saw and confessed.  But many insane people imagine that they are christians, but who are, according to my understanding, greater disbelievers, blinder, more hardened and worse than Turks, Tartars, or any of the heathens.  Their works testify that I write the truth:, and they cannot be moved to hear or obey the truth by godly means and services; neither by doctrine nor exhortation, neither by the unblameable lives nor the innocent blood of saints, which is daily shed before their eyes, as has been mentioned before, when we treated of the faith of the murderer.

The movement and doctrine of the holy divine word, we have had in Germany a number of years, and have it yet daily more abundantly, in such power and clearness that they may plainly see that it is the finger and work of the Lord.  For the haughty are humbled, the avaricious are made kind, the drunkards become sober, the unchaste made pure, &c., and do not dare indulge in a single thought, or word, or act contrary to the will, word and Spirit of the Lord.  They receive it with such an affection that they do not fear to forsake father, mother, husband, wife, children and possessions, no, they willingly suffer death on account of it.  For many of them are burned, drowned, killed with the sword, apprehended, exiled, and their property confiscated; yet all this avails nothing with these obdurate people.  If it is but reported (when an innocent sheep has been slaughtered), that he was an anabaptist, it is sufficient; they never inquire what he professed and what scriptural grounds he had; what his conduct and life were, whether he injured any one, or not.  Neither do they reflect that it must be a special power and work which restrains one wholly from drunkenness, lasciviousness, pomp and pride, from all vanity, abominable lying, carnal life and from all idolatry; and constrains him to all sobriety, chastity, meekness, piety, truth, and the true worship, on account of which, we have to hear all manner of disgrace, and to endure persecution and misery, and so often endure the loss of life, as you may see.

If a thief is led to the gallows or a murderer is broken upon the wheel, or if a malefactor is punished with death every one inquires what he has done.  He is not sentenced by the judges as long as they do not understand fully the ground and truth of his evil deed; but if an innocent, contrite christian, whom the gracious Lord has rescued from the evil, ungodly ways of sin, and placed in the way of his peace, is accused by the priests and preachers, and placed before the judges, they deem him unworthy of an impartial examination in relation to what reasons or Scriptures move him, so that he will not hear their priests and preachers, nor have his children baptized, nor attend their service, nor longer eat and drink with them, and serve the devil.  Nor do they desire to know why he reformed his life and received the baptism of Christ, or what urges him that he willingly suffers or even would die for his faith.  They only ask, Is he baptized?  If he answers in the affirmative, the sentence is fixed, that he must die.

All who see or hear such miracles of Almighty God, that such poor, unlearned men, yes, sometimes, poor, feeble women, or girls, are so fortified in God that they fear neither judge nor executioner; that neither fire nor water, neither halter nor sword, neither life nor death can deter them from their faith.  These persecutors do not inquire what they did, whether they are traitors to their country or city, whether they have taken the property of others, or disgraced some one’s daughter or wife; or whether they did any thing, not in accordance with the word of God, with common honesty and natural probity. O, no!  So much discretion and love are not to be found.  If they only have the word of the Lord, and believe it and fully obey his commands and ordinances, and gladly regulate their poor, weak lives by the truth; then they are called rebels by the lords; heretics by the learned; and are adjudged by the common people as well deserving such cruel punishments and disgraceful death.  Behold, thus has the murderous, blood-thirsty devil deceived the whole world through his priests and preachers.  Yes, I fear there is scarcely one to be found among a hundred thousand who will lay to heart such a strong faith, obedience, frankness, power, great suffering and ignominious death, so that he would once reflect upon his abominable unbelief, disgraceful wickedness and presumptuous, carnal life, or doubt the doctrine of his teachers, sacraments, their lives and worship.  How truly did the prophet say; “The righteous perishes and no man lays it to heart,” Isa. 57:1.  There cannot be found beneath the wide canopy of heaven, a more hardened unbelief, more perverse, scornful, obdurate wickedness, more accursed madness, more execrated ungodliness, or a worse state of things than that which is related.

If there is a report of war and warriors, the whole land is in dismay, great and small, citizens and peasants; defensive armor is provided; they watch and make ready for defense as much as possible.  Or if they hear of famine or pestilence, then all tremble, who have come to years of understanding.  And, if on the contrary, there is a time of tranquillity, peace, prosperity, and wealth, then all who hear it, rejoice.  But now, the trumpets of the Lord Jesus Christ are blowing, and the drums are beating; warning us to tender love through all his apostles and prophets, to shun the crafty wiles and subtle assaults of Satan, and that all who follow and are obedient to him must die.  However, but few are to be found who put on the armor of God; but few who are guarding against the secret encroachments of Satan, and preparing to resist him.  Both men and women voluntarily run into his hands and eagerly do the things which delight him; and those who do not, have to await great tribulation and much misery.

Besides, it is manifest that the abominable pestilence of false doctrine will destroy the whole world.  The bread of life, which is provided for all the spiritual hungry, is very scarce, in consequence of the envious cry and false writings of the serpent’s preachers; and alas, there are few who weep and sigh on this account.

The eternal grace, mercy, favor, glory, kingdom and joy of Christ are offered unto us.  But our ears have waxed dull; our hearts become hardened, and our perverted wickedness, do not desire them.  But this pious woman did not do so; she heard, believed, saw his miracles and confessed his power; and therefore, prayed with confidence and obtained what she desired, for she believed Christ with all her heart and did not doubt his grace.

In the second place, she admonishes all pious parents that they should be solicitous for the salvation of their children, because she so faithfully entreated for her demoniac daughter, not desisting till she was heard.  For it cannot be otherwise, that if I am a true christian, all my work before God and my neighbor, are works of love, for God (by whose word a christian is born), says John, is love.  That the Father and those who are born of him, are alike, of one mind and heart; is as clear as daylight.

If I seek the praise of the Lord with all my heart, and desire the salvation of my neighbors, many of whom I have never seen; how much more should I desire the salvation of my children, whom God gave me, who are out of my loins, and are naturally my flesh and blood?  So that the mighty Lord may be praised and be eternally honored by them.

What I write, I consider unquestionably true.  I write it from a true testimony of my own conscience, as before Almighty God, before whom I am, that all true, believing parents are thus minded towards their children, that they would far sooner see them set in a dungeon for the sake of the word of the Lord and his testimony, than be with the deceiving priests, in their idolatrous churches, or with drunken, erroneous interpreters in taverns, or in company with scorners, who despise the name of the Lord, and hate his holy word.

Sooner by far would they see them, for the sake of the truth of the Lord, bound hands and feet, and dragged before lords and princes, than to see them marry rich persons who do not fear God, neither walk in the ways of the Lord, but pass away time in splendor, with music, in excessive drinking, dancing and singing; sooner by far would they see them scourged from head to feet, for the sake of the glory and holy name of the Lord, than to see them adorn themselves with silks, velvets, gold, silver, costly, striped and fashionable clothes, and similar vanity, pomp and haughtiness.  Yes, far sooner would they see them exiled, burned at the stake, drowned, or placed on the wheel, for righteousness’ sake; than see them live out of God, in all earthly and carnal lusts, than to be emperors and kings, and then be damned.

Woe to all, yes, woe to all those who are not solicitous for the salvation of their children.  If I so love their bodies that I overlook their sins; if I do not punish the transgressions of the young with the rod, and reprove the aged with words; if I do not teach them the ways of the Lord; if I do not set them an unblameable example; if I do not direct them at all times to Christ and his word, ordinances, commands and example, and do not seek their salvation with all my heart and soul, then I will not escape my punishment, for in the day of the Lord, their souls, blood, damnation and death will be required at my hands, as a dumb and blind watchman.

Christianity plainly teaches us that all christian parents should be as sharp, saturating salt, a shining light, and as unblameable, faithful teachers in their houses.  The high priest, Eli, was punished because he did not zealously reprove his children.

If I see my neighbor’s ox or ass go astray, I must bring him to the owner, or keep him safe, as Moses teaches.  If it becomes me to do thus with another’s animal, how much more solicitous should I be for the souls of my children, who are so readily misled by the youthful flesh, in which no good dwells.

If I see my neighbor’s ox or ass fallen in a pit, or meet him on the way lying under the weight of a burden, I must not leave him till he is extricated.  How much more should I be solicitous for my children, whom I have before me, that they do not lie under the burden of their sins; and if they are not earnestly reproved and instructed in grace, they will fall into the infernal abyss of eternal death.

Again, if I see my neighbor’s house on fire, and his goods perishing, it is reasonable that I should exert myself to put out the fire, and if possible, to save the goods; but it is much more reasonable that I extinguish the fire of base desires in my child with the water of the divine word, and preserve, as much as is in my power, the heavenly goods.

The Holy Scriptures teach that God purifies the heart by faith; that faith comes by hearing; and by faith we are justified.  Therefore, let every one take heed, who truly loves his children, that he rightly and purely instruct them, as soon as they can hear and understand the word of the Lord; that he lead them in the ways of truth, and that he zealously watch over all their doings, that they may from youth, learn to know the Lord their God, fear, love, honor, thank and serve him; so that the inborn nature of sin may not rule in them nor conquer them, to the everlasting shame of their poor souls.

Moses taught Israel saying, “These words which I command you this day, shall be in your heart, and you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up, and you shall bind them for a sign up on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes, and you shall write them upon the posts of your house and of your gates;” “that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth,” Deu. 6:6-9; 11:21.

In another place he says, “And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come saying, What is this?  That you shall say unto him, By strength of hand, Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage,” Exo. 13:14.

Joshua commanded Israel, according to the command of the Lord, and said unto the twelve men, “Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of Jordan, and every man of you take up a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones?  Then, you shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever,” Joshua 4:5-7.

Behold, dear reader, thus the Israelites were obliged to teach their children from youth, and to acquaint them with all the blessings and miracles of the Lord, which had been bestowed on them and their fathers, so that they might fear, love and serve the Lord all their days, and thus receive the blessing, and escape the curse which was included in the law.

In like manner with us, if we rightly confess Christ, if we believe his word, and if we and our children desire to obtain the happy fields and pleasant land, and eternally inherit the grace which he has promised his children; therefore, let us not neglect it, but lay it well to heart that we teach our children rightly in the word, and instruct them in relation to his righteous judgments, so that they will learn to fear the Lord with all their heart, and turn from evil.

Let us also keep before them God’s unbounded mercy; love, and services of his grace, so that they may love him and walk in his statutes.  Let us imprint on their hearts, Jesus Christ, our only and eternal Savior, with his Holy Spirit, word and example, so that they may rightly know him and follow in his footsteps.  And let us set them an example in all wisdom, righteousness and truth; with a pious and virtuous life, so that they may through such discreet admonition and unblameable example of their pious parents, be instructed in the kingdom of God and trained to all manner of good.

For all who have such a faith as this woman had, and see that the end of sin is death, will not cease to sigh and lament to God that he would, in mercy, assist their poor children to so resist the impure spirit of the devil that he may not lead them captive at his evil will, to the eternal shame and disgrace of their poor souls.

But that they may, from their youth, rightly learn to know the immortal, eternal God and Father through Jesus Christ his beloved Son, and in truth serve and submit to his cross; and recount all the mighty works and miracles of Jehovah our God, the great mercy, grace, favor and love of the Almighty Father, his blessed word, will, ordinance and life, with all the merits, power and fruit of the death and blood of Christ his blessed Son; also the munificence, wisdom, truth and the gifts of his eternal and Holy Spirit, this to their children, and children’s children, and all their descendants, till the Lord Jesus Christ appears in the glorious majesty of his heavenly Father in the clouds of heaven, [and] to the final judging, and where every one will be rewarded according to his works, be they good or evil, 2 Cor. 5:10.

Behold, worthy reader, thus it behooves true christians to teach, admonish, reprove, and correct their children, to set them an example in all righteousness, raise them in the fear of the Lord, be solicitous for their poor souls, lest they through their negligence, depart from the true path, die in their sins and finally perish in their unbelief.

The Lord spoke of Abraham and said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment,” Gen. 18:17-19.

Pious Tobit taught his son and said, My son, obey your father, serve the Lord in truth and be just, and this teach to your children, that they give alms, always fear God, love him, and confide in him with all their heart.

And when they attain the age of maturity, and do not have the power to refrain (but he that has, him I would advise with Paul, that he use it to the Lord), do not let them marry those out of Christ and his church, be they noble, rich, or handsome, as do the proud, avaricious and unchaste of this world; but let them marry those who fear, love, seek, honor, follow and serve the Lord with their whole heart; be they noble or ignoble, rich or poor, comely or uncomely, for they are holy and children of saints, and therefore, it is of the Lord, and must be done in his name.

Let every one beware and do right, lest the wrath and fearful judgments of God be inflicted upon him on account of his lewdness and evil desires, even as the judgments in the days of Noah and Lot were inflicted, Gen. 7 & 19.

But, alas!  How few there are who take this to heart, and sincerely seek the salvation of their children.  If they can but provide for them temporally, then their desires are gratified.  The priests’ ordinances, and church services alone are their faith, hope, and the foundation of their salvation; they neither know nor seek any other.

Their whole life from beginning to end is contrary to the word of Christ.  For as soon as they are born they are carried to the idolatrous, false bath (baptism); the holy name of the Lord is mispronounced over them; they are raised in all vanity and blindness, in pomp and splendor, in open idolatry and false worship, and in the ignorant, unrestrained life of the world.

In and out of their houses they hear and see nothing but unrighteousness, malice, lying, defrauding, cursing, swearing, infidelity, avarice, quarrelling, fighting, intoxication, whoring, and all manner of disgrace.  They never learn to know Christ and his word, but they hate the truth and persecute righteousness.  In short, they show by their actions that they are full of the evil, unclean spirit, and are led by his will, as may be seen.

For as your spirit is, so must also your fruits be.  If the Spirit of Christ is in you, which is holy and pure, then also your whole life and fruit are pure and holy.  Again, if the spirit of the evil one is in you, then all your ways and fruits will be evil and impure.  This is incontrovertible.

Therefore, says Paul, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Rom. 8:14.  Again, those who are led by the spirit of the evil one are the sons of the devil.  Dear reader, reflect well upon this.  Yes, if these poor people had but a spark of the Spirit of the Lord, they would a thousand times sooner be seethed in boiling oil, and burned with fire, than hear and see such foolishness, ungodliness and wantonness in their children, much less would they teach them or set them an example in such things.  For it is incontrovertible, according to the power of the Scriptures, if they do not become partakers of Christ, that their end will be eternal death.

Therefore, all you who fear the Lord, love your children with divine love, seek their salvation with all your hearts, even as Abraham, Tobit, and the Maccabean mother did.  If they transgress, reprove them sharply; if they err, exhort them parentally; if they are childlike, bear them patiently; if they are of good understanding, instruct them as christians; dedicate them to the Lord from youth; watch over their souls as long as they are under your care; so that you will not lose your salvation on their account.  Pray without ceasing, like this pious woman did, that the Lord may grant them his grace, that they may resist the devil, subdue their natural depravity by the Spirit and help of the Lord, and walk from their youth up before God and his church, in all righteousness, truth and wisdom, in a firm and sure faith, in unfeigned love and living hope, in an honorable and holy life, unblameable and without offence, abounding in the fruits of faith, unto eternal life, Amen.

In addition to all the aforementioned examples, the diligent reader may also, with a pious and good conscience (mind) seriously reflect upon the faith of the immaculate, glorious mother Mary, of Matthew, of the aged Simeon and Hannah; also of the blind man (Luke 1; Matt. 9; Luke 2:15,18; Mark 10), and others like them.  I trust that he will, by the help and grace of God, fully understand how simple, plain, unfeigned, pious, righteous, forbearing, ardent, peaceable, joyous, merciful, amiable, ameliorating, modest, moral, humble, zealous, unblameable and pious a true, regenerating, christian faith is inwardly in power, before God, and outwardly in fruits, before one’s neighbor.

Yes, even as a good, fruitful tree, of its own accord, without any compulsion, always brings forth its own good fruits, so also a true christian faith must bring forth its own good fruits.  For it is infallible, the righteous must live by faith.

If Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and Samuel, with all the patriarchs and prophets believed the word of the Lord, which was declared to them by angels, or were found so faithful in it, how much more should we believe and be faithful to that word which the Prince of angels, God’s only begotten Son, the true witness and Teacher of righteousness, Christ Jesus, who came from the high heavens, from his Father’s bosom, brought down and taught on earth.

It will not suffice to say that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he fulfilled the law for us, that he paid for our sins with his blood, and made reconciliation with the Father, by his offering and death; neither will it suffice to only believe that his gospel is true, his word is right, the wages of sin is death, and that grace is eternal life; but the heart must rightly comprehend it, and the mind must be resolved upon it, otherwise it will not justify.  Paul says, “With the heart man believes unto righteousness,” Rom. 10:10.

All who believe with their whole hearts that Christ Jesus is the righteous Branch of David, the righteous, wise King; the true, promised Prophet; the right Way and Truth, and our only Propitiator, Intercessor, Mediator and High Priest, Jer. 22:5, also believe that all his words are immutable and true; and his offering sufficient and perfect.  They, therefore, obey his word, walk in his commands, bow to his sceptre and pacify their consciences by his grace, reconciliation, merits, offering, promises, death and blood.  They believe and acknowledge that if they neglect his word and will, and presumptuously transgress his commands, and live according to the flesh, that God will require it at their hands and punish them with the fire of his wrath through his eternal righteous judgment.  For if those who wilfully transgressed the Mosaic law were to die without mercy, upon the testimony of two or three witnesses, how much worse then will those be punished, who trample under foot the Son of God; who esteem the pure blood of the New Testament as impure, and profane the Holy Spirit of grace? Heb. 10:28.

Yes, kind reader, if we truly believed, and acknowledged it from the inmost of our souls, it would so move our hearts, and enkindle them with the fear and love of the Lord, that although all the tyrants that ever were would rise in all their dread torture, and blood shedding, and stand before us, they would not in the least deter or hinder us from the word and way of the Lord.  Besides, all our impure, carnal thoughts, unseasoned words, and useless, ungodly works would soon die, as Sirach says, “The fear of the Lord drives away sins,” Eccl.1:21; and it is impossible, without the fear of the Lord, to become right.

Seeing then, it is very evident that a sincere, christian faith acknowledges God in his righteousness, and therefore fears his judgment, and thus through fear buries sin and dies to it, as more than once related, and that nevertheless, you live in all avarice, unchastity, drunkenness, wrath, lewdness, blindness, idolatry, and all manner of wickedness, tell us, beloved, where is your faith and word of God of which you boast so much?  Do you not know that it is written; “If you live after the flesh you shall die?”  Or do you think that you can trifle with God as with a man?  Do not be deceived, says Paul, God will not be mocked. Gal. 6:7.

Ah! Reader, take heed, I tell you the truth in Christ, Beware!  If you do not repent with all your heart and seek God through Christ, and you do not hear, believe and fear him, but remain earthly and carnal, and walk after the lusts of your flesh, your sentence is already pronounced, and it will be death.  As Christ himself says, I judge no man, but the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:48.

I, therefore, faithfully admonish you, as before God, even as I admonish my own soul, divest yourselves immediately of false doctrine, of all unbelief, idolatry and earthly, disgraceful lives, in which, alas! you have hitherto walked, lest the wrath of God overtake you while you sleep in your sins.

Awaken! He is still merciful, seek and receive the true doctrine, true faith, true sacraments, the true service, and lead a godly life, as the Scriptures teach, “Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Jehovah shall be your reward,” Isa. 58:8.

Further, I say, If you truly believed and rightly understood that you became, through Adam’s disobedience, children of the devil, of wrath, and of eternal death, subjected to the righteous curse and judgment of God, and that now all obstacles and all your sins are taken away and reconciled through the precious blood of Christ; so that you are called from wrath into grace, from cursings to blessings, and out of death to life (not to mention the favors which are daily shown you), then your hearts would sprout forth as the sweet-scented, blooming violet, full of pure love.  Yes, [you would] flow as the living fountain, from which flow forth the refreshing sweet waters of righteousness, and you would, with holy Paul, say from the bottom of your soul, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Since it can never be, if I am in the bonds of perfection with him, and love him with a pure heart, a good conscience and unfeigned faith, that anything can turn me away or separate me from him. Rom. 8:35-39.  For it is my own desire and highest joy that I hear and speak of his word, and in my weakness, walk as he commanded and taught through his Son, should it even cost money and possessions, flesh or blood, his will be done.

Behold, dear reader, since then it is manifest in the Holy Scriptures that the true Christian, with faith through the fear of God, dies to sin, and through love does the things of righteousness, though in weakness, I therefore let you judge whether those believe from the heart, who with the mouth say, that the blood of Christ is the propitiatory sacrifice of their sin, and nevertheless seek and follow up all kinds of idolatry, such as infant baptism, holy water, absolution, auricular confession, masses, gold, silver, and wooden images, wafers, stone churches, and the drunken adultery of the priests.  Ah! how well it would be for them to reflect.

I say, as true as the Lord lives, there will eternally be found no other remedy for our sins, whether in heaven or upon earth; neither works, merits nor sacraments, even though they are used according to the Scriptures; neither cross, tribulation, angels, men, nor any other means will avail, but alone the immaculate, crimson blood of the Lamb of God (Christ), which was, out of pure grace, mercy and love, shed for the remission of our sins, Mark 14:24.

Hence, it is incontrovertible that all those who use such strange, idolatrous means for sin, do not belong to the believing, grateful church of Christ.  Therefore, I will present you with a few passages from the gospel and writings of the apostles, and set them before your eyes as a clear mirror, in which you may view yourselves, and see whether you are believing Christians.

Thus teaches the word of the Lord, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.  And again, “Truly I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Mat. 18:3.

Prove yourselves with this; if you are born of the pure seed of the holy word, then the nature of the seed must be in you; and if you have become like little children, then there is no more pride, unchastity, avarice, hatred and envy in you; for the innocent children know nothing of such sins.  But if you continue to live in old Adam, and not in Christ, and walk after the base, impure desires of your flesh, then you practically prove that you are not born by God, and do not have his faith.

The word of the Lord teaches again, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” Mark 16:15.  Here, prove to yourselves again, He that believes and is rightly baptized, truly repents, circumcises his heart, dies to sin, rises in Christ to a new life, &c.  But if you remain impenitent and your heart is uncircumcised, not dead to sin, but live out[side] of Christ and his word, then this is indeed your witness, that you are disbelievers and do not have the baptism of Christ.  Again does the word of the Lord teach, “If you will enter life, keep the commandments.” Mat. 19:17.  For in Christ, says Paul, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails, but the keeping of the commands of God.  And this is his command, “You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30.

Hereby, prove yourselves again; If you love God, you will keep his commandments and you will do to your neighbor as you would have him do to you; but if you despise his word, do not follow his ordinances in doctrine, baptism, Holy Supper, and separation, and if you do not walk according to his holy, godly commands; but instead lie to, cheat and betray your neighbor; if you take your neighbor’s life, disgrace his wife, daughters or servants, and treat him perfidiously; if you mislead the poor, blind souls from the true way and obedience of the Lord, be it through persecution or false doctrine, and thus bereave them of the eternal kingdom, and lead them to hell, then it is more than clear that you hate the commands of the Lord and do not have his faith.

Again, the word of the Lord teaches, “Enter in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many which go in that way; because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life; and there be few that find it,” Matt. 7:13.  At another place it is written, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Mat. 16:24.  “He that loves father and mother, man or wife, son or daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me.” Mat. 10:37.

Here prove yourselves again.  Have you such a spirit, such frankness and faith that you, in time of need, are ready to forsake father, mother and your all, for the sake of God’s word and his testimony; to take upon yourself the cross of Christ; to deny yourself in all things; to enter with Christ, upon the way of suffering, and thus enter, with the poor small flock, at the narrow, strait gate?  If so, then may the Lord strengthen you.  But if you live unto yourselves; reject the cross of Christ, and love father, mother, wife, children, property or life more than Christ; walk on the broad way with the multitude and enter the wide gate, then the mouth of the Lord gives testimony that you are disbelievers and that your end is damnation.

Again, says the word of the Lord, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts,” Gal. 5:24.  For those who live after the flesh, such as adulterers, whore-mongers, incontinent, avaricious, drunkards, gamblers, thieves, hateful, haughty, defamers, blood-thirsty or idolaters shall die.

Prove yourselves again. If your lusts do not reign in you, if you do not walk in any of these and similar carnal ways, which have been mentioned, but if you can smother them and trample them under foot through faith, then thank God, fight piously, watch and pray.  But if you satiate your lusts, and walk in the impure ways of your flesh, then reform yourselves; for then it is evident that you are not yet penitent, believing christians, but impenitent, carnal heathens.

Again, the word of the Lord teaches, “Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we be clothed with?  For after all these things the gentiles seek; but you are to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” Matt. 6:31.

Here prove yourselves again. If you believe that the strong and mighty God, who nourished Israel forty years with bread from heaven and with water from the rock, and kept their clothes from being worn out; and fed Elijah by a raven, will not forsake you in your distress, but will provide for you by his grace; this is a true evidence that you have the word of the Lord.  But if, through your cares, you are induced or constrained, so you neglect the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and seek temporal rather than eternal things, and are so much concerned as if God had more concern for the flowers and fowls than for you and your children, do not boast that you believe the promise and word of the Lord.

Again, the word of the Lord teaches, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so the world might be saved through him.  He that believes in him is not condemned; but he that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” John 3:16-18.

Here prove yourselves the seventh time.  If you sincerely believe these words of Christ with your whole heart, that the Almighty, Eternal Father so loved you and the whole human family that he sent his unsearchable, Almighty, eternal Word, Wisdom, Truth and Son, by whom he created the heavens, earth, the sea and the fullness of it, and his eternal glory, into this vale of misery; that he let him become a poor, grieved, miserable man; that he let him, for the sake of all our sins, suffer hunger and thirst; permitted him to be slandered,  apprehended, crowned with thorns, scourged, crucified and killed; then it cannot fail that your old carnal mind must become a regenerated, spiritual mind; your thoughts must become chaste and pure; your words must become discreet and well seasoned and your whole life pious and unblameable.

Instantly you should awaken, walk in the right way, keep aloof from all abomination and idolatry, forsake false prophets, preachers and priests; and seek the true teachers, sacraments and divine service; for a true, sincere, Christian faith cannot be idle; but it changes, renews, purifies, sanctifies and justifies more and more.  It makes you joyous and glad, for by faith it knows that hell, devil, sin and death, are conquered through Christ, and that grace, mercy, and redemption from sin, and eternal life, are acquired through him.  In full confidence, the possessor of true christian faith approaches the Father in the name of Christ, receives the Holy Spirit, becomes partaker of the divine nature, and is renewed after the image of him who created him, lives by the virtue of Christ, which is in him; all his ways are righteousness, godliness, honesty, chastity, truth, wisdom, goodness, benevolence, light, love and joy.

He sanctifies his body and heart as a habitation and temple of Christ and the Holy Spirit; he hates all that is against God and his word.  He honors, praises and thanks God with a sincere heart; and there is nothing to deter him, neither judgment, wrath, hell, devil, sin nor eternal death.  For he knows that Christ is his Intercessor, Mediator and Propitiator.  He acknowledges with holy Paul that “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” Rom. 8:1.  The Spirit of the Lord assures him that he is a child of God, and a joint heir of Christ; he, therefore wholly dedicates himself to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who called him through grace, drew him by his Spirit, enlightened him by his word, and purchased him with his blood.

Behold, this is the nature of living faith, which has such an urgent, cogent power, spirit, fear, energy and life; which avails with God and has the promise in the Scriptures.  Happy he who has such a faith and will salutarily retain it to the end.  I repeat it, prove yourselves, whether you are in the faith; in Christ or out of Christ; penitent or impenitent.  For in the mirror presented, you may view the whole face of your conscience and life, if you but believe that the word of the Lord is true and right.  Here notice how the true christian faith, through grace, is the only living fountain from whence flows, not only the penitent, new life, but also obedience to the evangelical ceremonies, such as baptism and the Lord’s supper.  They will have to come and follow, not as those compelled through the law, for the rod of the oppressor is broken, but voluntarily; through the free will and submissive spirit of love, which is of a christian nature, and is ready for all good works and obedience to the holy divine word.

For all the truly regenerated and spiritual conform in all things to the word and ordinances of the Lord; not because they think to merit the propitiation of their sins and eternal life; by no means; in this matter they depend upon nothing except the true promise of the merciful Father, graciously given to all believers through the blood and merits of Christ, which blood is, and ever will be the only eternal medium of our reconciliation, and not works, baptism or Lord’s supper, as said above.

For if our reconciliation depended upon works and ceremonies, then it would not be grace, and the merits and fruits of the blood of Christ would be void.  O, no!  It is grace, and will be grace to all eternity; all that the merciful Father is doing or has done for us grievous sinners through his beloved Son and Holy Spirit is grace.  Hence it is that they hear the voice of the Lord, believe his word, and therefore they should willingly observe and perform (although in weakness), the representation of both signs, under water, and bread and wine, set forth in obedience.  For a truly believing christian is thus minded that he will not do otherwise than that which the word of the Lord enjoins and teaches; for he knows that all presumption and disobedience are like sins of witchcraft, and the end of it is death.

Yes, good reader, the true christian belief, as the Scriptures require, is so lively, active and powerful with all those who have rightly received it through the grace of the Lord that they do not fear to forsake father, mother, wife, children, money and possessions for the word and testimony of the Lord; to suffer all manner of scorn, disgrace, fatigue, hardship and prison, and finally to have their poor, weak bodies, which are so fearful of suffering, burned at the stake, as may be frequently seen in the pious children and witnesses of Christ Jesus, especially in these our Netherlands.

Alas!  How many did I know before, and know the greater part of them now, both men and women, men and maid-servants (would to God that they be increased to many hundred thousands), who, from the inmost of their souls, seek Christ and his word, and lead, in all meekness, a pious, unblameable life before God and man; sincere and holy in doctrine, full of the fear and love of God, ready to help one another, merciful, compassionate, meek, sober, chaste, neither refractory nor seditious; but quiet and peaceable, obedient to the magistracy in all things not contrary to God.  And many of them have, nevertheless, for a number of years, not slept in their beds, and even do not now; for they are so much hated by the world that they have been persecuted, betrayed, taken, exiled and slain like highwaymen, thieves and murderers, and that without mercy; and for no other reason than that they, out of true fear of God, do not dare take part in the abominable, carnal life, and with the accursed, disgraceful idolatry of this blind world; neither dare they hear nor acknowledge the unchaste, drunken, lecherous priests and deceiving blind preachers, as the true apostles and teachers of God.  They do not dare receive the bread with the avaricious, envious, proud, drunkards, whores and rogues, from their hands, nor carry their children to their anti-christian washing and baptism, but seek such preachers and teachers, and also such a baptism, supper, church and life, which are in accordance with the Scriptures, that they may stand according to the word of the Lord.

Behold, before God, I write the truth, indeed they are such a people, if I otherwise know them rightly, hypocrites excepted, who, in the flesh, weep more than they laugh, mourn more than they are joyful, give rather than receive; who are ready not only to sacrifice possessions, and their all, but also body and life for the praise of the Lord, and to the necessary service of their neighbor, according to the command of the Scripture, as much as it is in them.  No matter how much the poor children are harassed, they are still so much strengthened in God that they can neither be moved nor deterred.  They possess their souls with patience, waiting for the joy which is promised.  Truly, said Christ, “You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake,” Matt. 24:9.

Since it is evident from all this that the true evangelical faith is of such a nature, and is the only means and tree, which through the grace of God, bears and propagates all manner of good fruit; therefore, it is considered in Scripture as the most precious and greatest work.  All things are ascribed to faith, such as miracles, and the power to become the children of God, and be justified; be blessed and saved; purified and sanctified; and have eternal life, as we have related when treating of the Malefactor’s faith.

Not, dear reader, that we believe that faith merits this on account of its worth; by no means; but because the pleasure of God through his word, has given his promise through true faith; then it must also by virtue of that word follow faith.  For the Scriptures plainly teach that all things, visible and invisible, must hear, yield, serve and follow the powerful word of God, as when he said, Let there be heaven and earth.  Heaven and earth sprang into existence at these words.  For God’s word, says Esdras, is his perfect work.  God also says to Israel, If you shall listen diligently unto the voice of Jehovah your God, all these blessings shall come upon you; but if you will not listen, the curse shall be upon you; Deu. 11:26-28 and it also happened, as it was told to Israel, “For God,” says Balaam, “is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent.” Num. 23:19.  For these reasons the promise must follow true faith, or else it cannot be denied that God, who is a God of truth, must be untrue and faithless.  O, no!  All that he wills must be done; what he promises must be fulfilled, and not otherwise than he has promised, for he alone is true, and we are all liars,” Rom. 3.  Paul says, “If we do not believe, yet he abides faithful; he cannot deny himself.”

Since faith so firmly acknowledges that God cannot break his promise, but must keep it, because he is the truth and cannot lie, therefore he makes his children free, joyful, and glad in spirit; though they are confined in prisons and bonds, have to suffer by water and fire; in chains and at the stake; for they are assured in the spirit, through faith, that God will not withdraw his promise, but will fulfil it in due time; for they believe in Christ in whom the promises are sealed, and through him also acknowledge his grace, word and will; notwithstanding that they, in former times, lived so ungodly, and walked according to the flesh.

They hope with faithful Abraham, where nothing is to be hoped, and wait for things invisible, as though they saw them, and with full confidence adhere to the assurance, truth, faithfulness and power of the heavenly promise, which is made to us by the infallible, true mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, without any previous work or merit, through the gracious choice and will of his merciful Father in his true word.  And this regenerating, justifying, converting, penitent, active and confident faith, which comes from the Father of light, by hearing his holy word, is the only faith that avails with God, and which has the assurance of the promise of grace in the word through the Holy Spirit; besides this, the Holy Scriptures know of no other faith.

Before now, I have read in some books, which they have written, that there is but one good work which saves us, namely, FAITH, and but one sin which will damn us, namely, UNBELIEF.  This I will leave as it is, and not find fault with it; for where there is a sincere, true faith, there are also all manner of sincere, good fruits.  On the other hand, where there is unbelief, there are also all manner of evil fruits; therefore, salvation is properly ascribed to faith, and damnation to unbelief.

Faithful reader, pay attention.  Since we plainly perceive that the whole world; Papists, Lutherans, Zwinglians, Davidists, libertines, &c., walk the broad road of sin, and lead a carnal, vain life, and do not abide by the pure, salutary, perfect doctrine, sacrament and unblameable, pure example of Christ; therefore they are themselves witnesses that they reject the corner stone, Jesus Christ, and do not believe his word and truth, though a few of them write much of faith and speak of the Scriptures.  Say, beloved, did you ever read in the Scriptures, or did you ever hear that a truly believing, regenerated christian, after repentance and conversion, remained proud, avaricious, unchaste, greedy, hateful, tyrannical and idolatrous, and continued to live after the base desires of the flesh?  You must say no!  If you speak of Peter and David, you must observe how short or how long a time their fall lasted, and what penance they did: Turn yourselves to the east or west, south or north, and you will find ungodly, vain, pompous, foolish actions and conduct, with all those who boast of faith, so that we shall have to say with Christ and John, they are, with few exceptions, of the devil and not of God.  For the devil, from the beginning, was proud and haughty, so are they; he was a liar, so are they; he was a falsifier of the word of the Lord, so are they; he was disputatious against God, so are they; in short, he is a revengeful murderer, an abominable, blood-thirsty tyrant, so are many of them.  The way in which they use those who seek Christ sincerely and believe, fear, follow, serve and call on him, has been more than once fully related.

Yes, alas, they are so wrathful and enraged at them that they will scarcely call them by their right names, but they call them anabaptists, fanatics, rioters, factionists, hedge preachers, deceivers, heretics, new monks, knaves and miscreants, even though they seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness with all their hearts, which God knows, who tries the that is and hearts of men, and they wish no evil to any one upon earth.

This they all do through the ignorant defaming by the envious, inhuman, lying, crying and writing of their learned priests and preachers, who ever since the blasphemous beast of anti-christ ascended his kingdom and glory, have always been the true cause of the tyrannical shedding of innocent blood in the past and present; for they are those who instigate the magistracy to murder, and the thoughtless, reckless people to defame and blaspheme, and, I fear that they will continue to be the cause till the end.

Nevertheless, the chosen are to awaken, repent and obey the voice of the Lord; for idolatrous, blood-thirsty, confused Babel shall sink, and be desolated; and fair Jerusalem, the city of peace, shall increase, and through the power of Almighty God must be built up in glory.  Of this all rejoice, who are called to the marriage of the Lamb, and whose names are written in the BOOK of LIFE with God.  Here is the understanding, wisdom, faith and patience of the saints; let him that has understanding observe that the word of the Lord is true.  Blessed are they who are ready to meet the Lamb when he returns.

Behold, such a faithless, impenitent, tyrannical, idolatrous, refractory, disobedient, blind, carnal people they are, who imagine that they are the believing church, and the lawful bride of Christ.  These poor children do not observe that all under heaven is spoiled, even as the prophet complains that “there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land; by swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood,” Hos. 4:1,2.  The world, says John, lies in wickedness.  If we come to the lords and princes, there we find such pride, arrogance, pomp and wantonness, such banqueting, eating and drinking to excess, with some such adultery and whoredom, and such unreasonable, blind idolatry, and with many, such unmerciful, raging tyranny that they are in truth more like proud Nebuchadnezzar, drunken Belshazzar, and Nabal, and blood thirsty, vain Antioch, Nero, and Maximinus, than christian, believing lords and kind princes.  If we come to the judges and rulers, to each in his station, with some we find only violence and injustice, with some nothing but avarice and astonishing practices; they steal honestly and rob honorably; pass sentence for gain and gifts; honor the high and despise the poor, do not do justice to the poor widow, orphan and the oppressed stranger, execute their office and power with rigor, and not fraternally; serve princes and not God, as the prophet Micah laments, What the prince desires, the judge does, so that he will again reward him. Mic. 7:3.  Alas!  Where shall we find one who loves God with all their heart, hates avarice, seeks the truth, who will defend the god-fearing, and do him justice?

If we come to the priests or monks, there we find such insatiable avarice that they offer and sell prayers, psalms, matins, vespers, masses, sermons, baptism, Lord’s Supper, absolution, and all their church services, together with their own souls.  They take rents and gold from the deceased, will go six or ten miles, from one place to another for a guilder; where they find the most milk, wool and meat, there they prefer to be among the sheep.  They like to be flattered and honored by the world; allow themselves to be called doctors, lords, masters, abbots, provosts, priors, fathers, guardians, commanders and presidents; like to wear long garments; seek to be greeted at the market, and take the first seats at the table and in the church, as Christ said of the scribes and pharisees in Mark 12:39.  Besides this, the greater part of them live in such whoredom and sodomy that the angels are astonished and blush; they defile one woman after another, also one virgin after another; they defraud and corrupt the whole world, both temporally and spiritually.  They have all their joy in a temporal, carnal life; and study by day and by night how they may pamper their proud, idle, lazy flesh and eat and drink, saying, as it is written, “Come you, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant,” Isa. 56:12.  They betray the faithful, pious hearts, who with all their powers seek Christ and eternal life.  They warn every one against the truth and its followers, and cry, Hear us, we are your teachers and pastors, we will pledge our souls for you in the judgment of God; and thus encourage the malicious, lest they be converted from their wickedness.  Promising liberty to others, they are themselves servants of corruption.  I do not know how they could make it worse; nevertheless, those unblushing, abominable men, who according to the law of Moses would have been stoned, and who according to the Scriptures must be eternally cursed and condemned unless they repent, alas, are called the pastors and teachers of this poor, rude people.  Behold, thus the world is corrupted.

If we come to the preachers, who boast of the word, we will find that some are open liars, others drunken sots, some usurers, some wanton and gay, some defamers and slanderers, others persecutors and betrayers of the innocent.  How some of them live, how they came to get their wives, and what kind of wives they have, this I will commit to the Lord and to themselves.  They teach secretly that there are two sons in Christ, the Son of God, and the son of Mary, and that he who died for our sins was not the Son of God; they also teach and practice a baptism which is not commanded in the Scriptures, and a supper, in which they consider the bread is the body, and the wine is the blood of Christ.  They have and hold no other BAN, than the gallows and the wheel; lead an unconcerned, easy life; they live in mere flattery, deceit and the booty of anti-christ, and preach just as much as the worldly, carnal magistracy desire to hear; and promise peace to the poor impenitent, although there is no peace.

If we come to the common people, we find such an unbecoming, carnal, blind, uncircumcised horde that we are astonished; they know neither God nor his word.  If nature teaches anything reasonable, that is all their piety; but of the Spirit, word, ordinances, will and life they indeed know but very little.  In short, it has come so far in the world that we may lament and say with the holy prophet, “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in its broad places, and see now, and know if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth,” Jer. 6:1.

Not one stone has remained upon another; all is desolated which Christ and his faithful messengers taught us of faith, love, baptism, Supper, reconciliation, sin, repentance, regeneration, separation, teachers, deacons and of true, divine service.  Nevertheless, they are called the church of Christ by their blind priests and preachers, even as if Christ and the Father were to be satisfied with names, bread, wine and water.  O, no!  The chosen of God are the church of Christ, his saints and beloved, who washed their clothes in the blood of the Lamb, who are born by God, influenced by the Spirit of Christ; who are in Christ and he in them, who hear and believe his word, who follow him in their weakness, walk in his footsteps and in his commandments, with all patience and humility, hate the evil, and love the good, earnestly desiring to apprehend Christ as they are apprehended by him, for all who are in Christ are new creatures, flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone, and members of his body.  How you and the rest of mankind conform to this, I will leave you and all reasonable readers to reflect upon, in the fear of God, both according to your understanding, and according to the Scriptures.

Since, then, all things are desolated through the righteous wrath and judgment of God, because (as Paul says) they delighted in unrighteousness and lies, by the false prophets and ravening wolves, so that nothing salutary has remained according to the true sense and ground of Christ and his holy apostles, and since we find nothing in the whole world, among all the great sects, only vain boastings, mere names, false doctrine, false sacraments, vain unbelief and an impenitent, carnal life, and this under the name and semblance of Christ and his holy church.  Therefore, I am constrained by true christian love; to make known the power and ground of the holy Scriptures, according to my small gift, given to me by God, and through this to show which is the true christian faith, having the promise; namely; the faith which changes man from evil into good, to a divine nature, both inwardly and outwardly, and makes him holy, righteous, obedient, new, pious, peaceable and joyful; in order that all good, pious hearts, who desire to walk in the right way, but who are hindered from there by their blind priests and preachers, may read or hear this, my faithful EXPOSITION and INSTRUCTION, and that they may thereby be instructed in the truth; that the indifferent and drowsy may be awakened, and that all hypocrites may be ashamed and reform; and that all those who love God sincerely may be more instructed and taught in the faith, if they do by any means acknowledge this as the sure FOUNDATION of God, as it is, and will be, for ever.  Lord, grant that many may read and understand it, and thus receive and obey it, that they may sincerely repent and be saved, Amen.

And since I do it out of a sincere heart, and do not labor with any other view, of which the great God Jehovah, the Searcher of the hearts and that is of men is my witness, than that I may teach repentance to the ignorant, rude world, which does not know Christ, lead them to Christ and his doctrine, sacraments and example, that many might be saved.  And as we plainly see, there are many profligates who have reformed their sinful, carnal lives, and commenced an upright, penitent, pious life in the fear of the Lord; then it is gross ingratitude, yes, hardened, ungodly tyranny, to hate me and my faithful coworkers so enviously, and recompense us so shamefully, who manifest such great fidelity and love towards them in our manifold sufferings and trials.

But thus they treated all the prophets and faithful servants of God from the beginning, who preached to them the word and will of the Lord with great fidelity, reproved their sins, sought their salvation till death, with all their powers, with many tears, watchings, prayers, labors, cares and sorrows.  Therefore, it is not strange, and no wonder, that they will treat us so; for Christ says, “For so they persecuted the prophets, which were before you,” Matt. 5:12.

I hereby entreat and desire, through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, all my readers and hearers in general, of whatever name, office, station and condition, that you be pleased neither to defame nor to reject my labor, if you have read it impartially, heard it rightly and understood it.  Therefore, separate the doctrine, sacraments and life of Christ from the doctrine, sacraments and life of the priests and preachers; separate faith and unbelief, spirit and flesh, righteousness and unrighteousness.  Seek after the truth, strive zealously for your salvation, believe that God is true, that he will reward the good and punish the evil, that his word is, and will for ever remain truth.  Fear his judgment, love his bounties; then you shall know, by the grace of the Lord, that the aforementioned is the true Christian faith, which avails before God, and has the promise in the Scriptures, as we have so abundantly testified and shown to you by the word of God, and with such strong and incontrovertible reasons, Scriptures and examples, without deceit and fraud, as it were before, in Christ Jesus.

May the Almighty, eternal, merciful God and Father, through his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, lead you all, one with another, into his holy, divine knowledge and evangelical truth, and make your faith so fruitful and active that you may, with sincere, new hearts, patiently submit to his cross in every trial and affliction, and that you may walk with unfeigned love, be peaceable and joyful in spirit, as the unblameable, pious children of God, before the Lord and his church all the days of your lives, and ultimately obtain the promise of grace, the end of your faith, and the salvation of your souls, Amen.

═════════════════

Beloved reader, here you have my FOUNDATION AND DOCTRINE OF FAITH, with its properties, power, operation and fruits.  I therefore entreat you all, if you appreciate Christ and your own salvation, suppress your perverted minds, do not be enraged and embittered, should you find any thing contrary to the usages of our forefathers, standing usages, or philosophic writings and the cry of the learned; but first prove it rightly, and scrutinize it well with Christ and the word, spirit, life and example of his holy apostles, and learn whether it is, or is not, the true content, meaning, doctrine and sense of the whole Scriptures.  If it is, you will have to give up the unscriptural usage, and the deceptive cry of the learned, and hold only to the word of the Lord if you would be saved.  Therefore, let your heart be impartial, and your judgment sincerely after truth; for the Almighty God and Lord, before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, will not and cannot yield to any of the learned, or to longstanding usages or customs; for he is Lord, and we are his servants.  We must follow him, for he does not follow us.  Reader, lay it to heart.

Likewise, if you find that we preach our doctrine rightly, do not respect the dignity of any man, fear no man’s tyranny, nor yield to the learned.  If we, in true, sincere love, faithfully teach, admonish and reprove all who do amiss, without respect to persons, with the Holy Spirit, word, example and ordinance of the Lord in all things; then I entreat you again that you would be pleased not to attribute this to spiritual pride, but to well-meant frankness and christian simplicity.  I desire that you would all walk rightly, so that you may be saved, on account of which I have to endure not a little tribulation.  I do not refuse to become as a fool before all the world, so that I may make many wise in Christ, and with the Holy Spirit and the powerful word of the Lord, lead them to wisdom and to the saints; and I well know that Christ and his apostles, and the prophets, were guilty of the same foolishness, and were of the same mind with me in this matter.

If I reprove, they reprove more; if I threaten with the wrath of the Lord, they do it so much more.  Were they on that account carnal and proud?  Far from it!  Yes, my reader, had not the dark smoke of men-pleasing preachers, the accursed, false doctrine of the dreadful, abominable locusts out of the abyss risen up; but had sincere reproving, the true, pure doctrine, the scriptural usage of the holy sacraments, and the separating of the impenitent, without respect to person, continued in the world, the pleasing sun would never have lost his splendor, nor would the church have lapsed into such a grieved and deadly condition.  Therefore, I esteem it with Paul, to be unimportant to be judged by men in this matter.  For I know that I mean it well, do right and reprove only with the truth, so that they may be converted.

May the true heavenly Light, Jesus Christ, be eternally blessed, and enlighten all dark, benighted hearts with the clear and lucid ray of his Holy Spirit and eternal truth, that they may view, in unfeigned, pure faith, the eternal brightness of Christ, to the praise and honor of his great name, and to the salvation of many souls, Amen.

 

 

A FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE FROM THE WORD OF THE LORD.

Exhorting All Who Are Called After The Name Of Christ, To The Heavenly Birth And The New Creature, Without Which, None Who Have Come To The Years Of Understanding, Are Or Can Be A True Christian.

Diligently Revised And Enlarged

By

MENNO SIMON.

A. D. 1556.

HEAR my words, all people, and understand them.  All you who imagine that you are Christians, and presumptuously boast of the grace, merits, flesh, blood, cross, kingdom and death of the Lord, notwithstanding we find among you neither Christian faith, brotherly love, repentance, the right use of the sacraments of Christ, the pure doctrine, nor the unblameable, godly life, which is from God, and to which the Scriptures admonish us.  Neither do we find the true, divine service, evangelical disposition, nor obedience; but throughout, nothing else than abominable, dark unbelief, a lewd, carnal life, false doctrine, false, self-devised sacraments, a devilish heart and mind, an accursed, heathenish idolatry under the name of Christ, blind, blood-thirsty tyranny, envious and furious revengefulness against all the children of God.  Yes, this is open obstinacy, disobedience and rejection of the words of Christ and of his Holy Spirit, as may be very plainly perceived and seen throughout the world.

In order that you may comfort yourselves no longer with lying and vain hopes, contrary to all Scriptures, to your eternal damnation, and do not glory in vain, in the aforementioned riches and glory of the children of God, namely of the kingdom, grace, merits, flesh, blood, cross, death and promises of Christ, &c., which do not yet pertain to you, because you are yet altogether earthly, carnally and devilishly minded, reject Christ, and do not keep to his Spirit, word and example, without which no one can be a christian.  Therefore I have undertaken, through the merciful grace of the Lord, as much as is in my power, to inform you briefly, by the infallible, powerful, saving word of the holy gospel of Christ, and from the pure doctrine of his holy apostles, in this my epistle, who they are, or who they are not, that are endowed through the grace of God, and to whom pertain these gifts, merits and promises of Christ.

Tell me, most beloved, where or when did you read in the Scriptures, which is the true witness of the Holy Spirit and the plummet of our consciences, that the unbelieving, disobedient, carnal adulterer, whore-monger, drunkard, avaricious, idolatrous or pompous had a single promise of the kingdom of Christ and his church, yes, any part or communion in his merits, death and blood?  I tell you the truth, nowhere do we read it in the Scriptures, nor will we ever; but thus it is written by Paul, “For if you live after the flesh you shall die.”  Adulterers, whore-mongers, buggerers, effeminate, unclean, idolaters, drunkards, proud, avaricious, betrayers of the innocent, and blood-shedders, thieves, murderers, backbiters, perjurers, sorcerers, liars, unmerciful, the disobedient to God and Christ (if they do not repent) will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Yes, their portion will be in the fiery lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death, Rom. 8:12-14; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 5:1-8; Rev. 20:6 to 21:8.

Behold, worthy reader, this is God’s irrevocable sentence and judgment upon all who live after the flesh, whoever they be, emperor or king, duke or earl, knight or squire, noble or ignoble, priest or monk, learned or unlearned, rich or poor, male or female, bond or free.  All who live after the flesh must forever remain under the just sentence of eternal death from God, otherwise the whole Scriptures are untrue.

Therefore, the poor, ignorant people are comforted in vain with masses, matins, vespers, confessions, pilgrimages and holy water, and what is more, with [counterfeits of] Christ’s grace, death and blood.  The word stands firm, “For if you live after the flesh you shall die; for to be carnally minded is death.” Rom. 8:6.  Therefore, I advise and entreat you all in general, to hear Christ Jesus, who is sent to us as a witness of the truth from heaven; for thus says he, “Truly I say unto you, Except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Mat. 18:3.  At another place, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.  Again, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5.

Faithful reader, take heed; these words are not invented or instituted by man, nor are they the resolution of any council; but they are the infallible, precious words which the Son of God, Christ Jesus, brought to us from the mouth of his Father, and declared unto pious Nicodemus, the scribe, with a double affirmation.  That word is powerful and clear, and has not only reference to Nicodemus, but to all the children of Adam who have come to the years of maturity.  But alas, it is so obscured by the offensive, leavenous mire of human commands, statutes and glossaries that scarcely one or two is found in a thousand who have the true sense and understanding of the heavenly birth, and much less do they have the active nature, power, properties and fruits of it.  Yes, they have brought it so far through their philosophy, wisdom and self-chosen holiness that the eternally blessed Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus, is banished as a poor, senseless fool, and put out of the house of his honor, which is his church, along with his Holy Spirit, word, baptism, Supper, divine worship, separation and unblameable example.  The man of sin, the son of perdition, is placed there in his stead, with his abominable doctrine, idolatrous infant baptism and supper, with his unclean purifications and promises, with his churches, convents, priests, monks, masses, matins, vespers, holy water, images, pilgrimages, purgatory, vigils, confessions, absolutions, &c.; all of which, in short, are nothing but the doctrines and commands of men.  They are raised up contrary to the Scriptures, an accursed idolatry and abomination, an open denial of the Lord’s death and offering, a despising of the New Testament and of the covenant which was sealed by the innocent blood of the Lamb, a destroying and desolation of the saving ordinances of Christ, of his doctrine, baptism, Supper, life and separation, abundantly testified in the Scriptures, which ordinance he taught in this world with incontrovertible clearness and power according to the command of his Father, and left it to his children in his word, and no other can be established that will stand eternally before him.

In short, writers and the learned have corrupted every thing so much through their councils, decrees and statutes, with all the tyranny and violence of the great, that there is scarcely an entire article left of all that Christ and his holy apostles taught.  All the aforementioned abominations, together with the ungodly, carnal life of the whole world, I call on as witnesses.  Nevertheless, they called theirs the holy christian church; and he that admonishes them in sincere, pure love, with the Spirit and word of the Lord, must be an accursed anabaptist and heretic.  I tell you again, they claim to be the christian church, but it is evident from all their actions that they are not christians; but carnal, proud, avaricious, lascivious, lewd, drunken, idolatrous, blind heathens; and what is worse, some of them are unmerciful, murderous, ferocious, revengeful and blood-thirsty fiends; many of their works are done according to the will of the devil.  We may with propriety complain of this matter; for the righteous judgment has come upon them, that they are unconvertible and that little of a salutary kind remains with them.

O! How miserably is the fair vineyard desolated, and how lamentably are its branches withered.  Its walls are broken down, the destroying foxes have destroyed the grapes, the clouds are dry and give no rain; there is neither pruner nor knife at hand; and if there is one, he must be devoured by the dragon or slain by the apocalyptical woman, drunk with blood.  O, merciful, gracious Father, how long will this great misery endure?  Our rulers are like voracious lions and bears.  Our fathers are our betrayers.  Our leaders are our deceivers.  And those who feign to be our pastors are thieves and murderers of our souls.  Well may we sigh and lament from the inmost of our hearts; for our house is left unto us desolate.  For that which was once the church and kingdom of Christ, is now, alas!  The church and kingdom of anti-christ, and for no other reason than because they ungratefully rejected the word of grace, and will not have the Lord Jesus Christ rule over them, with the righteous sceptre of his holy word and Spirit.  Nevertheless, these poor, blind people hope to obtain the grace and promises of God through their infant baptism, masses, confession and similar superstitious ceremonies and idolatries, which they call the true, divine service, and use it as a remedy for their sins.  Ah! no, most beloved, no; for Solomon says, “The hope of the ungodly is like dust that is blown away with the wind.”  I have said it once, and repeat it, from the mouth of the Lord, who can neither lie nor deceive, “Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  And “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” Matt. 18:3; John 3:3.

My beloved reader, take heed to the word of the Lord, and come to know the true God.  I warn you faithfully to take heed; he will not save you, nor pardon your sins, nor show you his mercy and grace, except according to his word, namely, If you repent, if you believe, if you are born of him, if you do what he has commanded, and walk even as he walked. 1 John 2:6.  For if he would save unjustified, carnal men, without regeneration, faith and repentance, he did not teach us the truth; but he is the truth, and there is no lie in him.  Therefore, I tell you again that you cannot be reconciled with all your masses, matins, vespers, ceremonies, sacraments, councils, statutes and commands under the whole heavens, together with all the popes and their adherents from the beginning; for I warn you, they are abominations and not reconciliations.  Christ says, “In vain do they honor me,” because they teach the commandments of men.” Mat. 15:9.  But if you, by any means, wish to be saved, your earthly, carnal, ungodly life must be reformed; for the Scriptures teach nothing except true repentance and reformation, and present to us admonitions, threatenings, reprovings, miracles, examples, ceremonies and sacraments; and if you do not repent, there is nothing in heaven or on earth that can save you; for without true repentance, we are comforted in vain.  The prophet says, “O, my people, they which lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths,” Isa. 3:12.  We must be born from above must be changed and renewed in our hearts, transplanted from the unrighteous and evil nature of Adam into the true and good nature of Christ, or we can never be saved by any means, whether human or divine.  Wherever true repentance and the new creature are not (I speak of adults), man must be eternally lost; this is incontrovertibly clear.  Upon this every one may confidently rely, who does not wish to deceive his soul.

That regeneration of which we write, from which comes the penitent, pious life and having the promise, comes alone from the word of the Lord, if it is rightly taught, and if rightly understood and received in the heart by faith through the Holy Spirit.  The first birth of man is out of the first, earthly Adam, and therefore its nature is earthly and Adamic, that is carnal-minded, unbelieving, disobedient and blind in divine things, deaf and foolish, whose end, if not renewed by the word, will be damnation and eternal death.  If you would, therefore, have your inbred, evil nature reformed, and be set free from eternal death and damnation, so that you may obtain what is promised to all true christians, you must be born again.  For the regenerated are in grace, and have the promise, as you have heard.  They, therefore, lead a penitent and new life, for they are renewed in Christ, and have received a new heart and spirit.  Before, they were earthly, carnally minded, but now heavenly, spiritually minded; before, unrighteous, now righteous; before, evil, now good.  And no longer live after the old, depraved nature of the first, earthly Adam but after the new, sincere nature of the new and heavenly Adam, Christ Jesus; as Paul says, “Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” Gal. 2:20.  Their poor, weak life they renew daily, more and more, and that after the image of him who created them; their minds are after the mind of Christ, they gladly walk as he walked; crucify and put to death their flesh with its evil lusts; bury their sin with baptism in the Lord’s death, and rise with him to a new life; circumcise their hearts with the word of the Lord, and are baptized with the Holy Spirit into the spotless, holy body of Christ, as obedient members and fellow heirs of his church, according to the true ordinance and word of the Lord.  They put on Christ and manifest his Spirit, nature and power in all their fruits; fear God with all their heart, and seek, in all their thoughts, words and works, nothing but the praise of God and the salvation of their beloved brethren.  They do not know hatred and vengeance, for they love those who hate them; do good to those who despitefully use them, and pray for those who persecute them.  They hate and resist avarice, pride, unchastity, pomp, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, hatred, envy, backbiting, lying, defrauding, quarreling, blood-shedding and idolatry, all impure, carnal works, and forsake the world with all its lusts; meditate upon the law of the Lord by day and by night; rejoice at the good, and are grieved at the evil; evil they do not repay with evil, but with good.  They do not seek self, nor their own good, but what is good for their neighbors, both as to body and soul; feed the hungry, and give drink to the thirsty; entertain the needy, release prisoners, visit the sick, comfort the fainthearted, admonish the erring, and are ready, after their master’s example, to give their lives for their brethren.  Again, their thoughts are pure and chaste, their words are true and seasoned with salt; with them yes is yes, and no is no, and their works are done in the fear of the Lord.  Their hearts are heavenly and new; their minds, peaceful and joyful; they seek righteousness with all their powers.  In short, they are so assured in their faith through the Spirit and word of God that they will valiantly overcome, by virtue of their faith, all blood-thirsty, cruel tyrants, with all their tortures, punishment, exiling, plunder, stocks, stakes, executioners, tormentors and counsel; and out of a pure zeal, with an innocent, pure, simple yes and no, are willing to die.  The glory of Christ, the sweetness of the word, and the salvation of souls are dearer to them than any thing under heaven.

Behold, worthy reader, all those who are born by God with Christ, who thus conform their weak life to the gospel, are thus converted, and follow the example of Christ, hear and believe his holy words, follow his commands, which he, in plain words commanded us in the holy Scriptures.  They form the holy christian church which has the promise; the true children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ; for they are born with him from one Father, and of the new Eve, the pure, chaste bride.  They are flesh of Christ’s flesh, and bone of his bone, the spiritual house of Israel, the spiritual city, Jerusalem, the temple and Mount Zion, the spiritual ark of the Lord, in which are hidden the true bread of heaven, Christ Jesus and his blessed word, the green, blossoming rod of faith, and the spiritual tables of stone, with the commands of the Lord written on them; they are the spiritual seed of Abraham, children of the promise, confederates of the covenant of God, and partakers of the heavenly blessings.

These regenerated people have a spiritual king over them, who rules them by the unbroken sceptre of his mouth, namely, with his Holy Spirit and Word, he clothes them with the garment of righteousness, of pure white silk; he refreshes them with the living water of his Holy Spirit, and feeds them with the bread of life.  His name is Christ Jesus.  They are the children of peace, who have beaten their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and do not know war. They give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, Isa. 2:4; Matt. 22:21.  Their sword is the sword of the Spirit, which they hold in a good conscience through the Holy Spirit.  Their marriage is that of one man and one woman, according to the ordinance of God.  Their kingdom is the kingdom of grace, here in hope, and after this in eternal life, Eph. 6:17; Matt. 19:5; 25:1.

Their citizenship is in heaven; and they use the creatures below, such as eating, drinking, clothing and dwelling with thanksgiving, and that to the necessary wants of their own lives, and to the free service of their neighbor, according to the word of Jehovah, Isa. 58:7.  Their doctrine is the unadulterated word of God, testified through Moses and the prophets, through Christ and the apostles, upon which they build their faith, and save their souls; and every thing that is contrary to this, they consider accursed.  They use and administer their baptism on the confession of their faith, according to the command of the Lord, and the doctrines and usages of the apostles, Mark 16:16.

The Lord’s Supper they celebrate in remembrance of the favors and death of their Lord, and in reminding one another of true and brotherly love.

The ban extends to all the proud scorners, great and small, rich and poor, without any respect to person, who heard and obeyed the word for a season, but have fallen off again, and teach or live offensively.  [They cannot return to] the house of the Lord, till they again sincerely repent.

They sigh and lament daily over their poor, displeasing, evil flesh, over the manifold errors and faults of their weak lives.  They war [against sin] inwardly and outwardly without ceasing.  They seek and call the Most High: fight and struggle against the devil, world and flesh during their lives, and press on towards the prize of the high calling, that they may obtain it.  And they prove by their actions that they believe the word of the Lord; that they know and have Christ in power; that they are born by God and have him as their Father.

Behold, worthy reader, as I said before; so I say again.  These are the christians who have the promise, and are assured by the Spirit of God, to whom they are given and bestowed in Christ Jesus, with all his merits righteousness, intercessions, word, cross, suffering, flesh, blood, death, resurrection, kingdom, and all his possessions, and all this without merit; given out of pure grace from God.  But what kind of doctrine, faith, life, regeneration, baptism, supper, ban and divine service sectarian churches have, of whatever name; and what kind of reward is promised them in the Scriptures, I will let the reasonable person meditate upon, with the aid of the Spirit and word of the Lord.

Here I would call on all the high and mighty lords, princes and rulers, all under the canopy of heaven, also on all the popes, cardinals, bishops, the wise and learned, who from the beginning perverted and darkened the Scriptures, to show us one single word in the whole Bible, I say in the Bible (for we do not regard human fables and lies), that an unbelieving, refractory, carnal man, without true repentance and regeneration, ever was or ever will be saved, simply because he boasts of faith and the death of Christ, or has heard the masses and service of the priests, as the whole world does; if so, they shall have gained the point.  But this has never been from the beginning, and never will be to the end of time; if such vile men could be saved without repentance and regeneration, by hearing masses, and confessing, as they, poor children, without the warrant of the Scripture, hope, then we might truly say that their means were stronger (though they are idolatrous), than the word of the Lord.  But the word knows no mass, it says, “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish,” Luke 13:3.  Then would also Moses and the prophets, Christ and his apostles, have been false witnesses, and have miserably deceived us poor sheep, because they directed us upon such a narrow path.

Ah no!  Friends, no!  Beware, I tell you, God will not deceive you.  For he says through the prophet Malachi, “I am Jehovah, I do not change.” 3:6.  All that he has testified to us in his holy word through his prophets, through Christ and his apostles, is his eternal, immutable will; on this we may all rely if we do not wish to deceive our souls.  In short, all else is vain counsel and advice.  True repentance and the birth from above must take place; we must believe Christ and his word, and we must abide by his Spirit, ordinance and example willingly, or eternal misery must be our portion.  This is incontrovertible.

Therefore, I admonish and entreat you, as those whom my soul loves, repent! Repent!! Do not delay; “The axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire,” Matt. 3:10.  Watch over your poor souls that have been bought with a precious price, and be no longer comforted with open lies, nor be fed upon chaff; for behold, I tell you, there is nothing under heaven that can, or will, stand before God, but the new creature, “and faith which works by love,” and “keeping the commandments of God.” Gal. 5:6, Mat. 19:17, 1 Cor. 7:19.

My faithful reader, do not believe me, but only believe the word, to which, by the grace of God, I directed you with my small talents; for as true as the Lord lives, all who teach otherwise than we have shown from the word of the Lord, whosoever they be, are prophets who deceive you, who place pillows under your arms, and cushions under your heads; who whitewash the wall with delusions, and speak peace to the wicked, but not from the mouth of our Lord.  For as certain as it is that the penitent and regenerated are the true christians, who have obtained God’s truth, the true light, pardon of their sins, and the sure promise of eternal life, so it is also certain that the sensual and impenitent are false christians, and have serpentine lies, darkness, propensity for sin, and the certain promise of eternal death.  This is the truth, and will be found so in eternity before Almighty God; of this his word is to me a true witness; and I am confidently assured of it through his grace.

Now, perhaps, some may answer: Our belief is that Christ is the Son of God, that his word is truth, and that he purchased us with his death and blood, and that we were regenerated in baptism, and received the Holy Spirit, therefore, we are the true church and congregation of Christ.

We reply: If your faith is as you say, why do you not do the things which he has commanded you to do in his word?  His command is REFORM.  BE CONVERTED.  KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.  Now it is evident that you are becoming worse daily; that unrighteousness is your father, and wickedness is your mother, and the express command of the Lord is foolishness and derision to you.  Since you will not do as he commands, or would have you do, but act as you choose, it proves sufficiently that you do not truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, although you say so.  Nor do you believe that his word is truth; for faith and its fruits are inseparable, this you will all have to confess by the grace of God.  O, you poor, blind men!  Be silent and blush!  Let Christ Jesus with his Spirit and word be your teacher and example, your way and your mirror.  Do you think it is enough to only to acknowledge Christ according to the flesh?  Or if you just say that you believe in him and are baptized; that you are then christians, and that you are purchased with the blood and death of Christ?  Ah no! I have told you often, and tell you again, you must be born through God; in your life you must be so converted and changed that you become new creatures in Christ, that Christ must be in you, and you in Christ, or you can never be christians, for, “If any man is in Christ he is a new creature,” 2 Cor. 5:17.

If you believe rightly in Christ, as you boast, then manifest it by your lives.  Show that you believe; for “The just shall live by faith,” as the Scriptures say.  That this is all true has been fully testified and shown by the works of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Samuel, David, Matthias, Zaccheus, Magdalene, Paul, and all the pious children of God, who were from the beginning and to this day.  But how you conduct yourselves in your faith, and how you are minded may be plainly seen by your excessive lies, fraud, avarice, hoarding, cursing, swearing, pride and wantonness; for your heart burns in unrighteousness; you fear neither God nor his word; nevertheless, you boast that you believe in Christ, have his word, and that you are christians, &c.  I repeat it; Reform, or hold your peace and be ashamed.

Further, you imagine that you were regenerated in your baptism and received the Holy Spirit.  Faithful reader, remember that if it even had been so unto you as you say, you will have to acknowledge that your regeneration then took place without hearing the word, without the faith and knowledge of Christ, and without all knowledge and understanding.  Besides, your aforementioned birth and the received Spirit are altogether without operation, wisdom, power and fruit; yes, they are vain and dead in you.  That you live neither after the Spirit nor in the power of the new birth is evident from your gross avarice, drunkenness, pride, and idolatrous, carnal lives; of which all those baptized among you are my witnesses.  Yes, my friends, if you were born by God in your baptism, and had received the Holy Spirit, as your comforters persuade and assure you, then it could not be otherwise than that the new, spiritual life and its fruits would also be manifest, as it was the case with the saints from the beginning, and is yet.  It is clear that the regenerated do not presumptuously live in sin, but through faith, in true repentance, by baptism, are buried into the death of Christ, and also arise with him to a new life, and those who have the Spirit of the Lord also bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.  That you do not bury your sins, but serve them in full power, and also do not bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, is daily testified by your vain, carnal and abominable lives.  My friends, out of true love I warn, admonish and entreat you: awaken and observe what the word of the Lord teaches; for the Spirit of the Lord will not dwell in a wicked soul, nor in a body subjected to sin.

In the second place, I say, if you are rightly baptized according to the word of the Lord, as you imagine, then you have put on Christ, and no longer live after Adam’s inbred, evil nature, but after the regenerated, good nature of Christ.  But since this is not the case with you, and you are yet altogether carnal and earthly, as is evident from all your fruits, therefore it is clear that you are not really regenerated and baptized christians, but still are impenitent, carnal pagans, for your works are chiefly done after a heathen will, as we may see and hear.  Once more, I say, awaken and hear what the word of the Lord says, “If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness,” Rom. 8:10.

In the third place, I tell you, if you are rightly baptized according to the word of the Lord, then you are members and joint heirs of the body of Christ, and have the evidence of a good conscience before God.  Inasmuch as a body is never divided in itself, nor hates its members, or does them harm, but one member serves and assists another; and since it is evident, and is indeed found to be so with you that you unmercifully persecute, murder and exterminate the chosen members of Christ, who should be your own flesh and blood, whom he purchased by his death, regenerated by his word, endued with his Spirit, and has chosen as his own peculiar people.  Besides this, they have a regenerated, new and good conscience, seek no help nor comfort from human institutions, but solely adhere with a pure faith to the grace, righteousness, prayer, merits, death and blood of the Lord; while you depend upon and comfort yourselves with the masses, confession, absolution, holy water, bread, wine, oil and the vigils of the priests and monks; so the works themselves testify that you are not serviceable members of the before mentioned body, but are much more destroyers and defilers; that you have not a firm, joyful, peaceable and good conscience, but a wavering, damning, restless and evil conscience before God.  For we see that all these above named superstitions and false worship, which all regenerated, pious and good consciences esteem as abominations, are your chief support and comfort, because you neither have Christ nor know him.  My friends, beware, you are miserably deceived by your comforters.  The spirit of prophesy says, “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things, says the first and the last, which was dead and is alive; I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not; but are the synagogue of satan,” Rev. 2:8,9.  Well may it be said at the present time to all the great and specious sects; I know the great defamations, and see the wicked lives of those who say they are regenerated, baptized christians, and are not, but are in satan’s synagogue; for I do not see how they could do worse.

But if we come to the rulers and potentates, there we find nothing but haughtiness and pride, splendor, dancing, whoring, pleasure riding, sporting, stabbing, killing, warring, destroying cities and countries, and living according to the lusts of the flesh.

If we come to the subordinate officers and judges, there we find insatiable avarice, treachery and roguery, cunning devices to defraud the helpless and God-fearing (I do not mean the good and pious); they seek gifts and presents; the rights of the righteous they pervert, and willingly accept gifts to shed innocent blood; they persecute the truth; they reject what is right and good; the fear of God is not before their eyes.

If we come to the divines, whether preachers, priests or monks, there we find such an idle, lazy, wanton and carnal life, such corrupted, anti-christian doctrine and misunderstanding of the Scriptures; such hatred, envy, defaming, betraying, lying and uproar against all the pious, that I would be ashamed to mention it before the virtuous and honest.  The common people are as stubborn as a stubborn heifer, as the prophet laments, Hos. 4:16.  They lie, cheat, curse and swear by the wounds and sacraments of the Lord, by his judgment, hand, power, suffering, death and blood.  I am ashamed that I have to think of these scandalous abominations.  They gamble, drink and quarrel.  In short, neither their superfluous, wicked lives, nor their great folly can be prevented: yet it is said that the mentioned lords, judges, learned and common people are the truly regenerated church and baptized congregation of Christ.  May the merciful Lord graciously preserve all his chosen children from such a [false] regeneration, baptism and church, for all eternity.

I testify to you the truth in Christ Jesus, take heed, if you will.  Jesus Christ has not endured such openly impenitent, carnal sinners in his holy city, kingdom and church, and he will never endure them, this you may believe.

O, Almighty Jehovah, how miserably your holy and paternal will, and your adorably great name are derided, and how little is your saving, precious word esteemed.  Yes, what an abominable, idolatrous, carnal, revengeful and blood-thirsty devil is made out to be your beloved Son; for they cover all their abominations, sins and disgraces with his blessed, holy name, word, death and blood.

Be ashamed, O, you heedless, perverted men, be ashamed, I say, before God and his angels, that you are so rebellious and refractory; that you live so rudely, and yet dare say that you are the rightly regenerated congregation and baptized church of Christ.  Often have I told you, and tell you again that all who are born by God, rightly baptized with the Spirit, fire and water, as the Scriptures teach, are of a heavenly and divine mind; their sins they bury, and now lead a penitent, pious, virtuous life according to the word of the Lord.  They show the nature and power of Christ which dwells in them by word and work; they bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and subdue the works of the flesh; they are useful members of the body of Christ, and labor according to the gift received.  In short, they are fruitful branches of the true vine, and their fruits abide to eternal life, John 15.

But since it is manifest in you, that you show the reverse in all your fruits, and we do see in your whole lives, that it is but world and flesh with you, therefore, it is clear that your boasting of the new birth, spirit, baptism, congregation and church is not the truth; but vanity, lies and falsehood.

The holy Scriptures and our common belief, teach us that the holy christian church is an assembly of the righteous, and a congregation of saints; and he that can see but partially into the Scriptures must confess that your church and assembly are a church and assembly of the unrighteous, lascivious, impenitent, sensual and sodomites; yes, of the blood-thirsty wolves, lions, bears, basilisks, serpents, and fiery, flying dragons.

Ah, friends, lift your heads, and open your eyes!  O, you bewitched!  Look over the whole world, what life they lead who have received the same baptism with you; who practice the same sacraments and worship, who indulge in the same boasting in the death and blood of the Lord, and say that they are the church and people of Christ.  For it is clearer than midday that many of you are so insane, so influenced by the spirit of the devil, that you hate, envy, bite and devour one another; so that you wholly destroy principalities, cities, castles and citadels with your accursed fightings and uproar; human blood you shed like water; deprive the poor citizen and peasant (those of your own faith) of body and possessions by burning, robbing, plundering, catching, imposition, torturing, yes, even those who have never harmed you, nor given you a rash word.  In truth, I do not know how the infernal leviathan could be more devilish and cruel than you or your members who imagine that they are the church of Christ.  God preserve us!  You disgrace families, you persecute the pious and god-fearing; you encourage open brothels, tippling houses, boxing schools, gaming boards, and similar disgraces, idolatrous houses and images, with all false service and similar, without measure and bounds.  I will not touch upon your intolerable, blasphemous cursing and swearing, lying, defrauding, drunkenness, whoring, pomp, splendor, &c.  What more I should say, I will forbear; for it strikes me that none can be found under the broad canopy of heaven, who can minutely relate the gross abominations, wicked acts, abuses and scandals of your fellow believers in infant baptism; a righteous person must be astounded at those great sins.  O, dear Lord, strengthen us!  Yes, whosoever does not rightly understand that you are not born from above, but are baptized contrary to all Scripture, and that all your boasting of the forgiveness of sins, of the mercy, grace, merits, flesh, blood, cross, death, church, kingdom and eternal promise of God is vain, and without the Scriptures, and must be, we may say, an irrational man.

Ah, readers!  How little you think upon the word of the Lord, which is so highly recommended to you; and how little you regard your poor souls, which are bought with such a precious price, and are eternally to live with God in heaven, or to be dead forever with the devil in hell.  Do you think, my friends, that the Lord is a dreamer, or his word a fable?  Ah, no!  Not a letter will fall to the ground of all that he spoke.  It is high time that you should reflect that God’s promise of grace is not given to the unregenerated and impenitent, but to the regenerated and penitent.  Let every one take warning and trust no longer in lies, believing that he is baptized and regenerated, nor trust in long standing usages, nor upon papistic decretals, nor imperial mandates, nor upon the wisdom and glossaries of the learned, nor upon the good opinion of any man, council, institution or wisdom.  God says through the prophet, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” Isa 46:10.  The word of God is eternal.  Neither princes, nor power, nor the commands of men with all their imperial edicts will constitute faith, neither can a soul be saved by them.  Only the heavenly counsel we must hear and follow that which Jesus Christ, God’s first and only begotten Son himself brought from heaven, and taught from the mouth of his Father, and confirmed by signs and wonders, and finally sealed it with his crimson blood.  This counsel stands, and can never be changed or prevailed against by the gates of hell.  By this counsel we are, in common, taught that we must hear Christ, believe in him, follow his footsteps, repent, be born from above, become as little children, not in understanding but in malice, be of the same mind with Christ, walk as he did, deny ourselves, take up his cross and follow him; and that if we love father, mother, children or life more than him, we are not worthy of him, nor are we his disciples.  Again, that adulterers, whore-mongers, murderers, drunkards, idolaters and similar sinners shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  That we do not love the world and the things in it, nor conform to the world; that we, through faith, are to die unto our evil flesh, and conquer the devil; that we are to lead an upright, unblameable, pious life through faith in all things, and act according to the will of the Lord.  Again, that we are to baptize upon faith and not without it, celebrate the Lord’s Holy Supper in a sincerely penitent communion, I mean so far as man can judge.  That we practice exclusion or the ban according to the Scriptures.  That we are to fear, serve and love the Lord with all the heart, and walk in his commands, and that we are to assist, comfort and serve our neighbor as much as in us is, and similar doctrine and instruction.

Behold, worthy reader, here you have in part the immutable, eternal counsel of God, which was sealed in the councils of his Majesty, and besides this, he recognizes no other.  Blessed are they who receive this with a firm faith, and conform to this according to their abilities, in all weakness; and live according to the Spirit, word, ordinance, command, prohibition and unblameable example of Christ.  On the contrary, cursed are they who despise, reject, curse, hate, defame, mock, persecute, destroy, and cast it from them, and comfort themselves with human power, institutions and fables.  For they deny the Lord who bought them, reject the gospel of peace; and do not believe that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, Savior, High Priest and Prophet.  Ah!  How well for them if they had never been born.  May the Lord mercifully grant them converted and renewed hearts, that they may repent and be eternally saved, if it be possible.

I will now close the matter and direct the well-meaning reader to the Scriptures; since the whole world, with few exceptions, is built upon human doctrine, lies, invented fables; perverted glossaries, vain idolatry and false service, by which the people of the world comfort themselves and boast of what they neither have nor are.  Therefore have I briefly, according to my few talents, in sincere, faithful love, shown you in this epistle, who, according to the unadulterated word, are the truly regenerated and baptized christians that have the promise, and who are not such; so that all who truly hunger and thirst, and who are zealous for God, may be rightly satisfied with the truth unto eternal salvation, and no longer follow deceit to their eternal condemnation.  Yes, so all who stand before the eyes of the Lord, with their poor, miserable souls, may be benefited, become whole and be saved.  The Lord strengthen you, believe God’s infallible word, reform your sinful lives, pray with confidence and be obedient to the gospel of Christ, that you may receive the eternal promise, to your eternal joy and salvation with all the saints, which God the merciful Father has promised to all his beloved children through Christ Jesus.  Grace be with all who seek Christ and eternal life with all their heart, Amen.  If you will allow Jesus Christ, with his eternal Spirit and word to be judge, then you will learn that the sure Foundation of truth has been shown.

 

 

TO THE

DISPERSED AND UNKNOWN CHILDREN OF GOD.

To all the chosen children of God, dispersed here and there, to the sanctified in Christ Jesus, unknown to me in the flesh, my beloved brethren and fellow believers in the faith, to you be the kingdom and your portion of the grace and peace of Christ.

Sincerely beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, I inform you with great joy that some praiseworthy brethren have written and informed me that the merciful, faithful Father has endued you with the heavenly gift of his divine knowledge, and enlightened you with his Holy Spirit, that your faith works by love, your hope is lively, and your union among each other is christian-like, that your peace is pleasant, and that the church of the Lord is increased and extended daily in great power and glory through the grace of God.  For which I thank his paternal kindness with joyful heart, and I pray for his grace inasmuch as he has called you to the fellowship of his beloved Son, and to the imperishable, eternal kingdom of his glory through his holy gospel, that he may now and henceforth preserve you with the great power of his divine arm, in your faith, love, doctrine, truth and life, without any offence till the end.

He who has called you is faithful, and he will undoubtedly do it, if you only continue to be ardent in prayer, and unwavering in your undertaking, never become sleepy nor slothful, nor at last return again, as did refractory, disobedient Israel to the flesh pots of Egypt.  May the Lord eternally and graciously preserve us.  Since you are called to such a high and glorious grace, as related, and we undoubtedly know our weak, vile flesh, and the sinful nature which we possess from Adam which makes our whole heart and life unclean, and besides we learn from the Scriptures that our opponent, the devil, goes about like a roaring lion, having rest neither day nor night, but always seeking that he might devour us; therefore I exhort you as my fellow combatants against the evil flesh, and the tents of death, that you may strictly watch inwardly and outwardly over yourselves, that you circumcise, teach, purify and sanctify your hearts with the Spirit of God.  Exhort and reprove one another; curb your thoughts; subdue and extinguish your impure evil lusts in the fear of the Lord; for blessed are the pure in heart; walk worthy of Jesus and his gospel to which you have come.  Whatever God has commanded, do it without murmuring; act so that none may truthfully complain of you; be sincere children of God, unblameable in this crooked and perverse generation, and shine as beautiful, clear, torch-lights in the midst of a dark night in this evil world.

Take the Lord Jesus Christ as an example, and follow his footsteps; walk as he walked, for Moses did this and all the prophets preach this.  For this end did the Son of God come down from heaven; he sent out the holy apostles, and instituted baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the mouth of the Lord commanded, that we may thereby be admonished to awaken, to repent and lead an unblameable, pious life in all righteousness.  “Be holy; for I am holy,” says Jehovah.  Peter says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,” 1 Peter 1:16; 2:9.  You are guests called to the table of the Lord, and have come to the marriage of the Lamb; you are his chosen friends and bride, therefore, hear his voice willingly, and whatever is pleasing to him, do cheerfully.  Adorn yourselves with the shining garment of white linen; be faithful unto death, and beware of all strange gods.  Dedicate yourselves wholly unto the Lord, that he may be your Lord and bridegroom, and teach, reprove, govern and lead you with his Holy Spirit and word, and have his perfect work in you; for you are in his grace, and through his grace you are accepted by him; espoused unto him, bought with his precious blood, reconciled to the Father, sanctified as priests and kings, and made heirs of his eternal kingdom.  Therefore it is proper and right that we should be grateful to such a kind Lord, for such generous gifts; hear him, lay his word to heart and do what is well pleasing to him.

Beloved children; do not fear, but be comforted in the Lord; for he is such a faithful, pious King, to whom you have sworn and bowed your knees, that not the least of his promises shall fail you; he will be our shield and great reward, therefore, doubt nor stagger not; for it is but a small thing that we endure the heat of the sun, tribulation, fear, sorrow, temptation, robbing, persecution, prison and death for a short time.  The messenger is now at the door, who shall say to us, “Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you;” Mat. 25:34.  Thus will our mourning and temporary pain be changed into ceaseless joy; these tyrants, with their bloody mandates, will come to an end, and all our persecutors, avengers, executioners and torturers will cease.  We will follow the Lamb, adorned in white garments, with palms in our hands and crowns upon our heads; neither torment nor pain, nor pangs of death will harm us; but we will forever exalt, praise and thank, in inexpressible joy and glory, the Lamb who sits upon the throne.

Behold, my children, all the truly believing, pious hearts comfort themselves with this approaching change, by which they possess their souls with patience; well knowing that their reward in heaven is great, and that on the other hand, all the ungodly shall have their portion in the eternal, unquenchable fire, under the intolerable, dreadful sentence of God, in the abyss of hell, if they do not convert and repent with all their hearts.  Woe!  Woe!  To these wretched people, for it was an evil day in which they were born!! ─ My children be cheerful in Christ, and do not despair, for so long as we desire God sincerely, seek, fear, love, honor and serve him, and with an upright, pure zeal walk in the truth, neither the world, flesh, tyranny, devil, sin, hell, nor death shall hinder us; but the victory which is gained by a firm faith in the blood of Christ, will, through the grace of God, be on our side, and this through the Spirit of Christ which abides in us.  David says, “By my God I have leaped over a wall,” Psm. 18:29.  Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13.  Christ says, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world;” John 16:33 and thus will they overcome, who will abide in Christ, as we may not only see in the prophets and apostles, but also in many pious hearts at the present day, in great power and clearness.

I have nothing particular any more to write; therefore, beware that you walk wisely and circumspectly; preserve your wedding garment; have oil at all times in your lamps, lest the Lord meet you in an undue time, find you unprepared and naked, and close the door on you, or cast you into outer darkness.

With unfeigned true, brotherly love, and out of a pure heart, love each other sincerely, as those who are regenerated, not of corrupt but of incorruptible seed, out of the word of the living God, which will abide forever; for love is of God and of a divine nature, and does right before God and man, is long-suffering, compassionate, peaceable, and gives offence to none.  In short, it is unblameable and brings forth christian fruit; it is the spiritual girdle of Aaron and his sons; the girdle of perfection and the fair bond of peace.  O, how completely happy is he who is girded with this bond, for he is born by God, he is in God and God is in him. John 14:20.  Yes, where this love is, there we find the true, sincere and pious christian.  Therefore, take care of this bond, for if you lose it you will lose Christ Jesus and eternal life.

Beware of false doctrine, of all discord, strife and dissension, and without wavering, adhere to the Spirit, word and example of Christ if you would not be deceived; for every spirit which is not satisfied with the Spirit, word and example of Christ, and will not conform to this is not of God, but is the spirit of anti-christ, which would rob you again, and all the pious, of the precious light of revealed truth, which graciously appeared to us, poor children, in these abominable days, and would again lead you on the crooked paths of death, under the semblance of the Scriptures.

My children in Christ, be warned.  Out of true brotherly love, I write to you.  The merciful, gracious God grant that you may read, hear, and understand it, with such hearts that it may bring much fruit among you, and that your fruits may abide in eternal life.  Pray for your poor, unknown brother, who loves you in truth.  He that continues towards perfection to the end, shall be saved.  The saving power and fruits of the crimson blood of Christ be with you, and with all my chosen brothers and sisters to eternity, Amen.

 

 

CONCERNING THE

SUFFERINGS, OPPRESSIONS

AND

Persecutions of the Saints

FOR THE

WORD OF GOD AND HIS TESTIMONY.

BY

MENNO SIMON.

“Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you,”  Matt. 5:15.

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ,”  1 Cor. 8:11.

I, MENNO SIMON, sincerely desire that all the true children of God may obtain grace and peace, a perfect understanding of the Lord, a firm mind in all temptations, from God our heavenly Father, through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, in the power of his Holy Spirit, to our edification and salvation, Amen.

“BLESSED are they (said Christ) who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Mat. 5:10.

I know well, worthy brothers and sisters in the Lord, that the true laborers and servants of the Lord, have each one planted and watered according to the gifts which they have received.  They have caused you to be born again by the living word of the holy gospel of Jesus Christ, and they have built in a godly manner upon Christ, the firm and immoveable corner stone.  They have taught you the word, will and ordinances of God according to his good pleasure; have united you in love as a willing, obedient, pure bride to your bridegroom, Christ Jesus.  That they have in full earnestness, shown you the narrow, much scorned way; have preached the cross, and have pointed out and admonished you in regard to the pains and costs of this godly building, for it can never be otherwise, as you well know, than that all who would hear, follow and enter through the right door, Christ Jesus, and would walk upon the highway to eternal life in the light of Christ must first deny themselves, and all they are, with their whole heart.  They must, in all misery, ignominy and trouble, take upon themselves the pressing cross, and must follow the rejected, outcast, bleeding and crucified Christ, as he himself said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Mat. 16:24.  Yes, all who do not stand prepared to take up this grievous life of the cross and trouble, and do not love Christ more than their father and mother, son, daughter, husband or wife, houses, land, money, goods and life, cannot be Christ’s disciples.

My faithful brethren this is a true and sure word; for the eternal truth, Christ Jesus, has in many places of the Scriptures, pointed out and testified this in great clearness; “Behold,” he says, “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore, be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the gentiles,” Matt. 10:16-18.

Again, “Brother shall deliver up his brother to death, and the father his child; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death, and you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake,” Matt. 10:21,22.

Again, “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master and the servant as his lord.  If they have called the master of the house, Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household,” Matt. 10:24,25.

Again, “He that loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.  He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it,” Matt. 10:37-39.

Again, “Then they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and you shall be hated by all nations for my name’s sake,” Matt. 24:9.

Again, “They shall put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time comes that whosoever kills you will think that he does God a service,” John 16:2.

Again, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”  “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.”  “If we are dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him,” Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12; 2:11,12.

Yes, the Scriptures abound with exhortations, examples and histories of the troubles, sorrows, miseries, proscriptions, upbraidings, reproachings, deceivings, imprisonments, plunderings, ignominious death and crosses of the saints.

Since from the beginning of the world, true righteousness, devotion and piety, are thus miserably hated, persecuted, and cast out, as it has been abundantly shown in the case of the pious fathers, and as may be seen, and found in these last times, as we have said, I deem it necessary to show from the word of the Lord, to our youthful, weak, and untried brothers and sisters, who such persons are that persecute us, and inflict upon us this trouble and sorrow; why they do so and how they maintain their tyranny and bloody deeds.  And also, what profit we receive from the cross, and what is promised to those, who, through the power of faith, overcome all temptations and extremities, and maintain the conflict through Christ Jesus, in order that they, through such counsels, may be ready and prepared for all trials.  They must put on the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, with the shield of faith, and be girded with the sharp, piercing sword of the Spirit in all humility, meekness and patience, with ardent prayers and sighs to the Lord, in order that when any swift, unseen uproar shall arise against us, it shall not fall upon us unawares.  Thus an unexpected storm shall not cast down our house, the heat of the sun shall not scorch the growing plant, the heat and power of the fire shall not consume the erected works, and that we will not be drawn off and frightened into a deadly apostasy by their threats, uproar and tyranny.  Therefore, my beloved, read and understand this in all love, for our Lord knows that out of pure love, I have written this for the benefit of my dear brethren, according to my received gifts, Eph. 6; 1 Thes. 5.

In the first place, dear brethren, I esteem it to be very necessary that all the godly, and strivers under the cross of Christ, who seek for encouragement in their crosses and sufferings, which they endure for the sake of the testimony of God and their consciences, to consider carefully and earnestly, who and what they are that so madly persecute, oppress and afflict them; of what disposition and nature they are; upon what way they walk, and from what father, according to the Spirit, they are born.  All who carefully observe them, and try them by the Scriptures, will find, according to my opinion, that they are not Christians, but are an unbelieving, fleshly, earthly, wanton, blind, hardened, lying, idolatrous, perverted, malicious, revengeful, unmerciful and murderous people.  A people, who by their actions and fruits, show that they neither know Christ nor his Father, although they so highly praise his holy name with their mouth, and extol it with their lips.  They tread in slippery, crooked and perverted paths; who do not display Christian love and peace; who bathe their hearts and hands in blood; their disposition is to seize and kill.  They are children and co-partners of him who, from the beginning, was a murderer and a liar, of whom the whole Scriptures testify that they shall forever bear, the intolerable curse and malediction of the righteous judgment of God, and [die in] the devouring flames of hell, unless they awake from the deep, deadly sleep of their sins, sincerely repent, believe the joyous Gospel of Jesus Christ, and put on Christ, and thus show by their whole lives and actions that they seek the true God with all their might, and that they fear and love him, be they emperors, kings, doctors, licentiates, citizens, peasants, man or woman.  For with God, says Paul, there is no respect of persons, and whosoever commits sin, he shall bear it. Rom 2:11, Eze 18:20

Worthy and faithful brethren in the Lord, observe what a blind, naked, poor, miserable and unwise people they are in divine things, who so bitterly persecute and destroy you without mercy, on account of your faith.  Therefore, it becomes all the true and chosen children of God, however severely they may be dealt with and contradicted by these people, not to be angry with them, but to sincerely pity them, and sigh sorely over their poor souls, with all meekness and ardency, after the example of Christ and Stephen, to pray about their raging, cursed folly and blindness, for they do not know what they do.  Who knows but God may give them eyes and hearts, that they may see and know their blindness and unbelief; see what an impure life they lead, what kind of people they persecute, and whom they have pierced.

O, my beloved brethren, I observe and consider well upon our own former lives; we have all, in former times, served their Lord and were attired in the same habit, as has been said.  But what we now are, we are not by ourselves, but by God, by grace through Christ Jesus.  The mighty God, who lives forever, according to his great mercy, has called us out of our accursed darkness into his marvellous light.  His ears are not stopped, nor his hand shortened; he can undoubtedly hear and help them as he helped us.  If they never repent, but continue with impenitent, perverted hearts, in all ungodliness, blood, wantonness and tyranny, till they die, we know what the Scriptures testify concerning them; that they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven; but their part shall be in the fiery lake which burns with fire and brimstone, and the fire will be everlasting, Rev. 21:8.

CALLED IN LATIN

Ad te levani annimam meam

EXPLAINED BY WAY OF SUPPLICATION.

BY

MENNO SIMON.

“Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for they so persecuted the prophets which were before you,” Matt. 5:11,12.

“In my distress I cried unto Jehovah, and he heard me.  Deliver my soul, O, Jehovah, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue,” Psalm 120:1,2.

“For no man can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 8:11.

It is evident, dear reader, that I am clandestinely slandered and contradicted by the envious; therefore I have, briefly and prayingly sought to express the feelings of my heart, my grounds, spirit, faith, doctrine, object, &c., after the tenor of the twenty-fourth psalm according to the Latin, and the twenty-fifth, according to the Hebrew.  This is not in words of human wisdom, nor in great logic and rhetoric, but in a plain narration as dictated by my heart, to show the different dispositions of a true and of a false christian, together with all the grounds and hope of my faith; what I maintain concerning Christ Jesus, his doctrine, baptism, Holy Supper, ordinances, commands and prohibitions; my disposition towards lords, princes and all who are as yet in the darkness of unbelief and do not know the light of truth.  I seek, and by the grace of God shall seek nothing upon earth but the unadulterated word of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this according to Scripture.

If I do err in some things, which I hope, by the grace of God, is not the case, I pray to every one, for the Lord’s sake, that I may not be put to shame.  If any one has more powerful writings and convincing truth, that he through brotherly exhortation and instruction would assist me, I desire with my heart to accept it, if he is right.  Deal with me as the Spirit and word of Christ teach; if any one can convince me of an error by the Scriptures, and if I will not renounce it, but continue obstinate to the word of God and brotherly admonition, then practice upon me the tyranny of Nero, Diocletian, or Maxeritius, as an obdurate and ungodly heretic.  For this I stand prepared, although this would be contrary to the usages and doctrines of the first church; for it is evident that they did not persecute on account of faith, much less did they kill them, but the erring and heretical they faithfully admonished, and those who would not return were then excommunicated.

Afterwards, in the time of Arius, they exiled them.  Ultimately the bloody tyranny of anti-christ generally prevailed.  All had to suffer who did not agree with the Pope in his abominations.  It is yet the case, which alas!  May be plainly seen in many places.

Many who have neither seen nor heard me, call me a deceiving heretic.  This must all be endured.  I am no better than the pious fathers, who had to hear and suffer.  Nevertheless, I feel disposed to give my life, if it would induce the world to rightly understand my seeking, faith and doctrine; for I assuredly know that I have the word of God.  My reader, do not pervert what I write.  I desire nothing else, before God, who created me, than to deal plainly, with a living voice, before every one, as one willing to be overcome by the Spirit of Christ, and to overcome [sin]; for my desire is that I and many with me will be saved; hence, it is unnecessary to use the sword against me.  If I do not have the truth, I desire with all my heart to be instructed in it; but if I have, then you do not persecute me, but him who is the truth, Christ Jesus.

Again, I say, with the Spirit and word of Christ, I desire to overcome, or to be overcome; in this I appeal to all the world.  But it is in vain, they will reject the truth, and maintain and defend lies with the sword; for it is the true disposition and manner of anti-christ to defame, slander, apprehend, torture, burn and murder, contrary to the Spirit and word of God.  But our Lord will see and judge it.

I would, therefore, faithfully admonish the reader to zealously and earnestly strive after the kingdom of God, and examine this Psalms with assiduity; every word of it, with a submissive, humble heart.  I hope he will find, through the grace of God, that it is replete with consolation in persecution, and that it clearly points out the difference between a believer and an unbeliever.

May Jehovah God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant the reader a zealous, ardent heart, a sincere, active faith, unfeigned christian love, and obedience to his holy word through our Lord Christ Jesus, his beloved Son.  To him be everlasting praise, Amen.

═════════════════

EXPLAINED BY WAY OF SUPPLICATION.

“Awake, you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light,” Eph. 6:14.

The Scriptures point out to us two resurrections: namely, a bodily resurrection from the dead at the last day, and a spiritual resurrection from sin and death, to a new life and a change of heart.

————————————

HERE, kind reader, you have a brief instruction of the first, or Spiritual Resurrection from death or the sleep of sin, also some inducements to awaken and arise, and henceforth to live a new, godly, pious, unblameable life, according to the example of Jesus Christ, as the Scriptures abundantly instruct us, and as is partially related here; for the Father himself, in heaven, directs us to Christ, and says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, you are to hear him.”  He says, You shall hear him.  Moses also testifies of him, and says, “Jehovah, your God, will raise up unto you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like unto me; unto him you shall listen;” and “every soul which will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people,” Deu. 18: l5; Acts 3:23.

Thus we counsel and admonish all in general, of whatever name, rank, class or condition; that they would be pleased to take good heed to the word of the Lord, which we have here briefly presented, according to our limited gift; I hope, by the grace of God, that you will find nothing in it but the infallible truth of Jesus Christ, for we have not directed you to men, nor to the doctrine, nor commands of men, but alone to Jesus Christ, and to his holy word which be taught and left upon earth, and sealed it with his blood and death, and afterwards had it promulgated throughout the world, by his faithful witnesses and holy apostles.

Besides, we say that all doctrines, which do not agree with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his apostles, if ever so fair in appearance, they are accursed.  For his word is the truth, and his command is eternal life, therefore, we kindly entreat you, from our inmost souls, that you be pleased to accept and read with an understanding heart, this our Instruction concerning the Spiritual Resurrection and New Creature, and compare and prove it with the doctrines of the apostles; if it does not agree with theirs, let it be accursed, “For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, Jesus Christ.”

 

 

A

Fundamental Doctrine,

OR AN ACCOUNT OF

Excommunication, Ban, Exclusion,

OR

ITS NATURE, POWERS, TO WHOM IT EXTENDS;

ITS REASONS, OBJECTS AND DESIGN, &c.─WHY IT WAS TAUGHT AND PRACTICED BY THE APOSTLES, AND COMMANDED THAT WE SHOULD PRACTICE IT.

FAITHFULLY COMPILED FROM SACRED SCRIPTURES, FOR THE USE OF ALL LOVERS OF THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL TRUTH, TO PROMOTE CHRISTIAN PEACE WITHOUT RESPECT TO PARTY.

BY

MENNO SIMON.

“Be of one mind─let nothing be done through strife or vain glory,” Phil. 2:8.

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 8:11.

BROTHERS and sisters in Christ Jesus, it is known, and evident to all the true children of God, who are enlightened by his Holy Spirit, that human reason is so depraved in Adam, that it possesses but little light which can lead to godliness; yes, it has become so unfit, haughty, ignorant and blind that it would even attempt presumptuously to alter, bend, break, gainsay, judge and find fault with the word of Jehovah God; it will not yield to any spirit or gift and insists that it is right, and that all it does or says is God’s word; by which the saving truth, and blessed love and peace often have to endure and suffer much injury, infamy and disgrace.

In the second place, it is also evident that the enchanting spirit of anti-christ has made the whole world so drunk with the cup of his abominations; has so rejected the doctrine of Christ and his holy apostles, sacraments, Spirit, life, ordinances, usages, example and the true worship, that but little of a salutary nature is left among men; hence it is difficult to restore what has been destroyed to its true order and proper usage, to that which the Lord had ordained.

In the third place, it is evident that the old master, satan, the arch enemy of God and our souls, is always about us, as a roaring lion, and seeks whom he may devour, as Peter says.  He assails us in diverse ways; now with the unclean, wicked nature of our depraved flesh, and anon with some enchanting, false doctrine and fair words; and again, by persecution, a cross and fears; then with liberty and worldly life of the flesh; now with riches and abundance, then again with defects, wants and poverty.  In short, he shoots his fiery darts constantly; they fly by day and by night, in secret and in public.  He that does not zealously abide in the fear of God [and love of Christ] cannot withstand the manifold assaults of his temptations.  Yes when we think the end is attained, then we are assailed the most violently.  Some are led to quarreling and wrangling under the semblance of truth; such are called by Paul, “Men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth;” whose fruits are abominable envy, disgraceful defamation, slanderous words, unclean, perverted minds, a lamentable destruction of the holy peace of God, a grievous denial of pure, christian love, a hindrance of the saving doctrine, the fruitful mother of faction, and an easy way to ruin, as we have abundantly seen in the days of the revealed truth.

O, brethren, take warning!  Again I say, beware and watch, for James says that such wisdom is not from above, but it is earthly, sensual, devilish; for the wisdom which is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:15-17.  Yes, my brethren, where there is no peaceable, friendly, saving and impartial wisdom, there is nothing but forced appearance of good; powerless, impure and sinful prayer; an unsteady, wavering mind; a restless and troubled conscience, full of strife and dissension, no matter how much we may boast of the truth.  The Lord grant that we may see this.

In the fourth place, it is evident that the community or church cannot continue in the saving doctrine and an unblameable and pious life without the proper use of the Excommunication or Ban.  Just as a city without good police, laws and regulations, or a field without any inclosure, or a house without walls and doors fails, so also is a church which does not have the true apostolic Exclusion or Ban.  Without it there would be an opening for all deceiving spirits, for all abominations, and for proud scorners, for all idolatrous and wanton, perverted sinners; yes, for all lewd debauchees, sodomites, adulterers and knaves, as is the case with all the great sects of the world, which call themselves, though improperly, the church of Christ.  According to my opinion it is the distinguished usage, honor and prosperity of a sincere community, if they with Christian discretion teach the true apostolic Separation, and observe it carefully in love, according to the ordinance of the holy, divine Scriptures.  It is more than evident that if we had not with due zeal insisted upon it, we would be esteemed and called by every one, the members of the sect of Munster and all other perverted sects.  But, thank God, since, in consequence of the proper use of excommunication, it is well known, among several thousand honorable, sincere persons, in different principalities, cities, and countries, that we are guiltless of, and free from all ungodly abominations and perverted sects, and that we also do make this known, unreservedly, to the whole world, not only by our doctrines and walk, but with our possessions and blood.

Observing that now the bright light of the holy gospel of Christ shines again in radiant splendor in these vexatious times of all anti-christian abominations; God’s own and first begotten Son, Christ Jesus, is gloriously revealed, his good will and pleasure and holy word concerning faith, regeneration, repentance, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the whole saving doctrine, life and ordinance, have again come to light through much seeking, prayer, reading, teaching and writing.  Now that all things (God be praised for his grace) proceed according to the true, apostolic rule in the church, the kingdom of Christ rises in honor, and the kingdom of anti-christ is sinking.  For this reason the arch enemy of our souls violently opposes and uses his old wiles and arts most subtly against it.  He appears under the cloak of a christian.  Understand me rightly; he proudly boasts of faith; upbraids, yes, rejects all the Babylonian deeds; is baptized; seats himself with the saints at the Lord’s Supper; praises the lives of the pious; hears exhortations; gives alms; receives the poor; washes the saints’ feet; says that Christ is the Son of God.  In short, in appearance he is an unblameable, regenerated, penitent and true christian.  But all the time, he watches where he may assail us most easily and injure us the most; he pleasingly approaches the depraved and enchanted souls, some of whom, as is evident, as yet know little about the nature and disposition of the Holy Spirit.  He presses them closely, for he knows how to skilfully defend his cause with the letter of the Scriptures; he speaks gently; whatever he does, he does as though out of pure fear of God, and love to the church, with the word and truth of the Lord.  He commences as though in the anxiety of a distressed conscience, to argue and dispute, principally concerning the separation which he can not well tolerate and endure; here and there he raises pernicious questions and answers, by which he so influences and inflames the perverted and enchanted, that some of them, when they cannot stand before the power of the truth, from mere partisan spirit, leave the pleasant Jerusalem of peace and return again to unclean, blind Babel; or build up a sect of their own, as I have, with much sorrow, seen it to be the case two or three times.  Behold, this is the pearl which the old deceiver seeks with his ire and wrangling; for whether we stay away from the idolatrous church or not, be baptized or not, it is immaterial to him; if he can only inflame our hearts with hatred and envy one towards another, corrupt our minds, mar our love, destroy our peace; if he can but sow discord, defamation, hatred, lies, enmity and backbiting, which generally arise from such disputes; if he can but do this, then he has accomplished what he sought.  Ah!  Dear brethren, beware, for it is more than clear that all those who do not have the meek, friendly, peaceable and affectionate Spirit of Christ, but are contentious, are not from God.  May this be known to you.

Inasmuch then, that we know that he did from the beginning of the expounded gospel to the present moment, cause us much pain and sorrow of heart, with his cunning, unfruitful questions of contention, and other pernicious disputations, I do most affectionately and sincerely entreat all who would desire to walk peaceably and quietly in the fear of God with a good conscience, before the Lord and his church, that they would all, before God in Christ Jesus, lay this sincerely to heart, how faithfully the Holy Spirit of Christ warns us concerning our unprofitable, foolish questions, answers, disputations, and quarrels, 1 Tim. 6; for the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of love and peace, and therefore, teaches it to all of his children, and writes it upon the tablets of our hearts with his gracious finger.  Ah! Do reflect upon what we teach; and that his holy kingdom and word are a word and kingdom of peace, and not of strife; that his messengers and servants are messengers and servants of peace, in order that you, who call yourselves after his holy name, he who alone has graciously called you into his kingdom of peace through the word of his peace, may escape the snares of the devil, and that you may so conduct yourselves in all your ways after the will and pleasure of Christ, towards all men, and observe his holy word and ordinance, and defend it; that you may promote that true righteousness required of God, such as faith, love, repentance, regeneration, piety and peace with all other fruits of the Holy Spirit; gladden the hearts of all the sorrowful of heart, and the young and tender souls in Christ Jesus, and strengthen, console and encourage them in all their trials, need, temptations, tribulation and fear.  Thus the most holy city and temple, which lay desolated for so many centuries, may again be rebuilt, and all its usages, ordinances and services restored to their primitive order.  Yes, that the saving light of the true gospel of Christ may be spread among all nations, kindred and tongues, in its full splendor; and that the accursed, lying and anti-christian darkness may be dispelled.

Then observe that the powerful word of the Lord is more and more miraculously breaking forth, and that, therefore, all true hearts would gladly see and have unanimity in this part of the Ban, by which they are sometimes so greatly troubled and perplexed, as related, that they might all orderly proceed, observing one rule, according to the Scriptures as it becomes christians; and that I, an unworthy person, the weakest of all the saints, have been severely tried in this part by many, different spirits for twenty-two years, and have endured many an attack, by which others are not only taught by me, but I am also taught by others, the Giver of all good gifts be praised for all this.  And also that I have acquired more knowledge in some things through length of time, and through many adventitious circumstances, examination and study; therefore, I was fraternally requested and besought by several pious hearts who would gladly see all things right, that before the close of my life, I would examine and revise the Ground and meaning of the true apostolic Ban or Separation, arrange it formally, and present it for examination to the elders and ministers of the church, and to all those desiring peace, so that if any one, after my departure, as I am now an old, feeble man, might cause any trouble, strife or dissension among the quiet and peaceable, under pretence that he heard this or that from me at any time, or might infer wrong views from some of my writings which have not yet been so fully explained by me concerning husband and wife, and of open, offensive, carnal sinners, as it is done here, in order that the brethren may refer them to my conclusive ground, after I shall have fallen asleep in God, and made my exit hence.  Besides, that the pious, doubtful conscience may thereby be relieved, so that they may attain an assurance of confidence in their minds.  To which request, although christian-like and just, I have undertaken to respond with diffidence, because I well know that they are not all brothers and sisters in truth and power who will read, hear and see it, but also others.  And where the disposition is not friendly, nor love true, there the understanding is generally partial and the construction unjust, as I, alas, have often experienced in my days.  Ah!  That some of them would obtain grace.  Besides, I know that the opinions, judgments, affections and minds are different; and that the all prevailing truth and the fear, Spirit and anointing of the Lord, are not possessed by every one in their fullness.  Therefore, I fear that all will not receive and follow this doctrine as the True Ground of Truth.  O, that we all had the eyes of understanding, those of us who think we see, it would, according to my opinion, soon gain a strong hold with some.

Yet I confidently expect that those, who in the true fear of God, sincerely seek union and peace among the pious, and are anxious for the truth, will not despise and upbraid me for this, my solicitous and brotherly labor for the edification of holy peace, and explanation of eternal truth, accepted by me in true christian faith; but that they will accept it, and give the praise to God for his grace.  It appears to me, although perhaps I may be in error, almost impossible to hit upon a more certain way according to truth, in which we may stand before God and man, than that which I have impartially, and according to my limited talents, pointed out and explained as before God in Christ Jesus, and which is according to the sacred Scriptures.

I do not serve the stiff-necked, haughty and perverse scorners, nor immovable bigots and wranglers, but I serve those who are of an impartial, new, christian mind, who allow themselves to be instructed, and are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and live in the fear of God and in pure love, who have received the Lord’s holy word and truth in a pure mind; who implicitly follow it through the received anointing, and are free from all bitter, party spirit, vain honor, hatred and envy.  With such we find the amiable spirit of peace, sincere and pious disposition, an unleavened, pure heart and conduct, and therefore, also an upright and pure understanding, and an incorrupt, saving ground and exposition, and they live no more unto their selfish flesh, but unto Christ and their neighbors.  They resist none, are humble, are opposed to all unscriptural contention and strife, readily acknowledge their short comings wherein they have erred; reconcile their neighbors whom they had grieved, regarding neither honor nor dishonor; heap fiery coals upon the heads of their adversaries; walk unblamably, in order that they may awaken them again unto truth with love, lead them from the way of error, bring them unto Christ, and save them eternally.  Behold, these are they, I say, whom I serve with my writings; for they have Christ in power with his Spirit, word and love, and thus with him, and in him they have TRUE CHRISTIANITY, which will stand before God, which is a useful, cheering, peaceable and joyful thing.  Ah, children, be admonished; learn rightly to know the subtlety of the devil, and beware of discord.  May our merciful Father grant unto us the wise Spirit of his grace, Amen.

 

 

EXPLANATION

OF THE

1. What is meant by Separation or Excommunication?  Sincerely faithful children in the Lord, whom I love in truth, since I have undertaken, in paternal fidelity, this very critical task, for the benefit of you and all the pious generally, I say a critical task, for I am well aware that it has caused much grief among the humble for some time; and I fear that all is not over yet.  I, therefore, entreat you all in general, both the afflicted and unafflicted, by the bloody wounds of Jesus, all of you, who with me bow your knees before the Almighty, great God, I exhort you by the righteous judgment, which he will hold at his future coming in the clouds of heaven, in flaming fire, with his mighty angels, that you would be pleased to judge this, my work, impartially, and with a pure heart of peace.  Read article after article, no, every word, with sincere, christian discretion, in impartial, true love, according to the rule and foundation of truth; and, in the first place, well observe what Excommunication of the church of Christ is in power, which was left and taught to us in the word by the Lord’s holy apostles, so that you despise none ignorantly, nor say with scorners, Let them freely excommunicate; their excommunication is not dangerous, and similar unguarded expressions.  I tell the truth in Christ, and do not lie, that I would sooner allow myself to be cut into pieces, till the day of judgment, if it were possible, than to allow myself to be excommunicated, according to the Scriptures, by the servants of the Lord, from his church.  O, brethren, beware!

All that was cursed in Israel according to the ordinances of the law, whether man or beast, had to die, and the accursed goods had to be burnt with fire.  This was a dreadful and severe curse.  But in the kingdom and government of Christ, if we rightly view it in its true character; if repentance does not follow, it is still more dreadful; it is not now a bodily extermination or the death of our flesh, as Moses’ curse or excommunication was, nor is it an exclusion from a temple or synagogue, even as is the excommunication of the Jews or of the world; but it is a true declaration of the eternal death of the soul, made through the sincere servants of Christ, against all offending, carnal sinners, and stubborn wranglers; a delivering over to satan; yes, a common renouncing, excommunicating or separating from the congregation, church, body and kingdom of Christ, and that in the name of Christ, with the binding efficacy of his Holy Spirit and powerful word.

Since, then, this is such a dreadful and severe anathema, as related, then may every one see well to it, that he walk and conduct himself so before God and his church, as not to be eternally smitten with such a curse, either by Christ or his church, that he must be an excommunicant put out of the holy congregation, body, city, temple, church, kingdom and house of Christ.  For all who are out of the congregation and church of Christ must be in that of anti-christ; this is incontrovertible.  And what the award of such will be, if they will not repent, may be plainly read in Rom. 1:32; 6:23; Gal. 5:21; Rev. 21:8.  Ah! Children, beware; be careful with all your powers; watch assiduously; pray fervently and be prepared; for God’s judgments are terrible; “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” Heb. 10:31.

2.  Over whom this Apostolic Excommunication is to be used.  We find many places in the holy Scriptures where the truly believing church is the spiritual body, bride, camp, city and temple of Jesus Christ, our only spiritual Head, Bridegroom, King and High Priest, prefigured by the literal Eve, Rebecca, and the camp, city and temple of Israel.  In the political dominion of Israel, no leper, none that had an issue, nor those who were defiled by the dead, were suffered to come into camp as long as they were not healed and purified according to the law; none were allowed to ease themselves within the camp; neither an uncircumcised nor an unclean person was allowed to eat of the passover.  All those (here observe well Israel’s Ban) had to die without mercy, on the testimony of two or three witnesses; who despised the word of Jehovah and set aside his commandments, those who were guilty of abomination in Israel, and who served strange gods.  For, says Moses, they were to be a holy people to Jehovah.  Num. 5:2; Exo. 12:48; Deu. 17:6; Exo. 19:6.

And thus it is in the Christian dispensation; for his church is a congregation of saints, or an assembly of the righteous, even as the Nicean fathers some centuries ago, did confess with us; and, as Adam had but one Eve, who was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, Isaac had but one Rebecca, who was of his own family, and Christ but one body, which was heavenly and from heaven, and was perfect and holy in all its members; thus has he also, spiritually, but one Eve, but one new Rebecca, who is his spiritual body, spouse, church and bride, namely, the believers, the regenerated, meek, merciful, dead to sin, righteous, peaceable, amiable and obedient children in his kingdom and house of peace; pure, chaste virgins in the Spirit, holy souls, who are of his divine family, and holy flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone.

BEHOLD, beloved brethren, with much trouble, pains and anxiety, I have now, in the infirmity of my declining years, added another small gift to the treasury of the Lord, not the price of a dog, nor the hire of a harlot, which was forbidden to Israel; but of the abundant benediction of my God, namely, from the settled principles of his truth.  Though it is not to be compared in value or worth with the gold, silver, metal, silk, or precious stones of the offering, yet, if it be reckoned with the rams’ skins, goats’ hair, and shittim wood, I have already attained my wish.  For my prayer and desire before God and his church is that the living building of the heavenly tabernacles may advance with the greatest speed to the attainment of their intended splendor and magnificence.  For this cause, I have suffered not a little hardship, affliction, sadness, poverty and reproach, so that I hope I may boast in my weakness with all the pious of God, apostles and prophets, yes, with Christ Jesus himself, that the zeal of the Lord’s house has eaten me up.

I would, therefore, earnestly desire all the pious, who, with a pure, unadulterated conscience, have drunk the water of love out of the fountain of God, that they do not despise this gift, but that with candid and discerning minds, they examine, as in the presence of God in Christ Jesus, its nature, principles, vigor, cogency and virtuous tendency; and having thus passed a sound, impartial judgment upon it, that you leave it unbroken in all its parts.  For it is my valedictory which I now offer, as I take my leave of you all in this part of the ban and retire to rest.

In this I have not sought the acquirement of human favor or honor, the indulgence of flesh, or the promotion of party purposes, but I have illustrated the principles of truth, confirmed the holy ordinance of the apostles, rendered due praise to the justice and mercy of God and assigning to each its part.  I have added nothing new, nor varied in the least from its principles in my plan, except that in consequence of much conversation with the pious, and meditation upon certain writings, as also on account of great dangers, actual occurrences, and heinous abominations, and in order to put a stop in some measure to all offensive, disgraceful actions, I have more deeply considered the excluding sentence of the flagrant, carnal sinner, and, in this way, placed it upon a more certain basis, as may be seen.

As we are well convinced that the depth of satan is to some but partially known and manifest, and that as a consequence he does great injury by means of his subtle, pernicious wrangling and disputation, as may be seen.  Therefore, my first earnest request unto all who are named after the name of Christ, is that they would reflect soberly, judiciously and discreetly upon the nature, character, heart, mind, Spirit and disposition of Christ, and consider that all which he has commanded, left and taught his followers, is nothing but pure righteousness, truth, patience, love and peace.  Also, that they bow their knees before him, and have received the token of his most holy covenant; that they should bury their former sinful life in his death; circumcise their hearts with his sharp word and Spirit; follow him, walk in all his ways, and be one with him in both the inward and the outward man, as taught in Scripture; also, that they reflect upon the high promise, and follow his word and will in power and in truth.  For he is such a God that he does not take pleasure in outward shadows, ceremonies, types, bread, wine, water, and nominal service, but in spirit, deed and truth.

My second request is that they would, on the other hand, consider the nature, character, heart, spirit, mind, and work of satan, that he is from the beginning a shrewd, cunning deceiver, an impudent, wanton liar, a revengeful murderer, a malicious envier of the honor and truth of God; a falsifier of his Holy Word, and a deadly enemy of pious souls.  He is seditious, factious, unruly, schismatic, envious, perverse, and destitute of love; incapable of conceiving and bringing forth any thing but hatred, backbiting, lies, deception, jealousy, impurity of heart, vice and shame, and all in a semblance of the truth.  In semblance of the truth, I repeat, for although he is the infernal satan, beelzebub, belial, leviathan, the angel of the bottomless pit, the prince of darkness, the old serpent, and the very devil himself, yet it is manifest; notwithstanding that he has the power of transforming himself into an angel of light, as Paul informs us. 2 Cor. 11:14.

There is nothing of an external nature oppressive or vexatious to him, if he can only gain possession of the citadel of our hearts, and expel from there Christ’s nature, disposition, Spirit and power.  If he can do this he has already won the prize of his craftiness.  Yes, even if a man was baptized by Peter or Paul himself, had received the bread of the Holy Supper from the hand of the Lord and would nevermore take part in papistic idolatry, yet if he retained but one of the fruits of the devil, whether hatred, or party spirit, envy, bitterness, avarice, revengefulness, pride, unchastity, or any other vice, we must declare with the Scripture that his spirit is devilish, and his life hypocrisy.  For it is very evident that the whole man must be regenerated, sincere, unsophisticated, spiritually minded, godly, holy, devout, united and subject to Christ; as James says, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all,” James 2:10.

Yes, worthy brethren, those who are so far taught by God that they are able to well and truly distinguish between Christ and the devil, in relation to their nature, disposition, doctrine, and works, and thereby perceive that the disposition of Christ is productive of life, and the disposition of the devil is productive of death, shall, and will undoubtedly, separate and depart entirely from all vain and unprofitable disputation, schism, separation, contention, dissension, sedition, and sectarianism, and also from all deadly abominations, sins, and shameful actions; of this I am fully convinced by the grace of God.

My third request is that they would all, with candor and sincerity of heart, meditate upon the glorious and illustrious names with which they are honored in the Scriptures, namely, Children of God, saints and beloved of God, chosen by God, regenerated seed and children of Abraham, seed of peace, plants and scions of righteousness, fruitful grafts of Christ, members of the body of Christ, flesh and bone, mothers, sisters, brothers, disciples, guests, friends, sons, daughters, maiden, virgin, bride and spouse of Christ, His holy vineyard, camp, city, Jerusalem, temple, ark, house, abode, chosen people, citizens of heaven, living stones, companions of the saints, apostles and prophets, household of God, kings and priests, doves, sheep, the light of the world and the salt of the earth, &c., to the end that by such meditation, their conduct inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly, may be such in all their ways, words, and works, before God, in the presence of the church, and before the whole world that they may, by grace, with the pious, walk worthily of all such glorious names, in love, peace and harmony.  And by his paternal bounty, [they may] forever escape the severe curse of excommunication, and not be with the goats to the left hand and hear the stern sentence, Depart from me, you cursed, but be with the sheep to the right hand [and hear] the cheering words, Come you blessed, and do not be numbered with those who are bound by the ban of the word, in the power from God, and styled in Scripture as a cursed, ungodly race, cursed children, children of wrath and of the devil, servants of sin and perdition, mockers, revilers, wicked, carnal, perverse, unrighteous, ungodly, stiff-necked sinners, dogs and swine, for whom are reserved woe, torment, the lake of fire and eternal death.  O, brethren take heed!

My fourth request is to all those to whom the charge of the word of the Lord is committed, who are fellow laborers with me in the ministry, that in all their actions, they so conduct themselves before God and his church that no man can in truth censure or speak evil of them.  Be sincere ministers of Christ; faithful and true in all things; men full of the Holy Spirit, born of the incorruptible seed of God; encompassed with heavenly light; transplanted into the good disposition of Christ; partakers of his grace; taught and anointed by God; having their minds upon eternal things; hating their own fame, vain-glory and impure, carnal lusts; lowly and little in their own eyes; of a meek and gentle spirit; compassionate, merciful, paternal, long-suffering, friendly, humble, chaste, given to hospitality, submissive, mild, courteous and peaceful.  [They must be] well versed in sound doctrine; seeking and acting in accordance with the good nature, disposition, character, heart, mind and example of Christ; confirmed in spirit, blameless shepherds, taking oversight of the flock of God, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre’s sake, nor for the sake of their own bellies, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords nor rulers, but being examples to the church of Christ, that in consequence of their faithful ministry they may run in fullness of joy upon the mountain of the Lord without fear or shame, and escape unharmed from the mouths of fierce, ravenous wolves.

Yes, my brethren, if we could all proceed according to this rule in unity of spirit, unaccompanied by the destructive foxes, how soon would the bride of the lamb shine forth in costly and variegated apparel, adorned in white and glittering robes, splendid bracelets, earrings and necklaces (understand [this is] the beauty and ornament of her virtues), and with the brilliancy of her appearance, excite the admiration of the whole world; whereas now, in consequence of deceitful workers, cunning wranglers and sowers of dissension, she must sit, at times, in rags and tatters, and, oh God! be the scorn and derision of multitudes.

The anguish of my soul is ofttimes so great that I am unable to write; God omnipotent, strengthen me.  And this, because I see that the house of the Lord has to endure so many offences, not only from without, but, alas!  From within also.  O, men!  Men!  Arm yourselves!  For the words of Paul are true, that the ministry of the New Testament is not a ministry of the letter, but of the Spirit.  Its duties, therefore, cannot be truly discharged to the glory of God by the proud, the arrogant, the ambitious, or the self-willed, who wish to perform every thing after their own mind, humor and inclination, for they pull down more than they build up, and do more injury than they do good.  This is a necessary consequence, inasmuch as according to the tenor of the doctrine of Paul, this ministration is neither the depth of wisdom nor eloquence, nor a dead letter, with which they are generally replete, but it is God, Spirit, truth, power and life, of which they are entirely destitute.  O, take heed.

Arm yourselves, I repeat; for true teachers are called in Scripture the angels of the Lord and valiant soldiers; be therefore manly; keep the commandments of God; hold fast and do not waver.  They are called watchmen and trumpeters; blow your trumpet to the right sound; watch over the city of God; watch wisely, I say, and neither slumber nor sleep.  Spiritual pillars they are styled; O, be steadfast in the truth; bear your burden willingly, do not waver, neither be faint.  Messengers of peace they are called.  Ah, brethren live up to and justify your name, walk in peace, maintain and do not break it.  They are called bishops and overseers; O, take great care of the flock of Christ; take great care of them, I say, and see that you neither destroy nor neglect them.  Shepherds they are called; O, keep and feed the lambs of Christ, and do not leave them to pine away.  They are styled teachers; make known the word and truth of Christ; publish it abroad and do not conceal it.  They are styled spiritual nurses and fathers; O, nourish and cherish your young children; do not vex them, neither cast them away.  They should be as the parent bird to her young; gather together the young and tender ones in Christ, and do not scatter them, nor hurt them.  They are called the stewards of God; O, perfect the mystery of the name; do not abuse it, nor disgrace it.  They are called the light of the world; O, shine and glitter in full glory, and do not conceal the brightness of your virtue.  They are called the salt of the earth; O, let the salt penetrate through and through, and do not be ill-savored ministers in Christ’s stead.  Ah, brethren, serve, but do not rule; let no man glory in any gift, I beseech you.  We are receivers, not givers of grace, it is not of ourselves; observe, we are servants, and not lords.  Ah brethren, bow down and submit.  My chosen in love and truth, the joy and delight of my soul, so long as you stand fast in the Lord, abide in the way of peace and are faithful to your brethren.  Walk worthy of the vocation unto which you are called; fear your God with all your heart; love the brethren; discharge faithfully the duties of your ministry; he is rich from whom you will receive your reward.  Watch and pray.  Pray, I say, and that with confidence, and so the Giver of every good and perfect gift will not withdraw from you his grace, Spirit, love and wisdom.  Do not doubt, neither be afraid.  Let the glorious, typified breastplate of Aaron, Christ Jesus, decorated with its beautiful colors, its twelve pearls, its Urim and Thummim, be bound fast to the breast of your conscience, with the two golden chains of the two testaments, and with the two yellow laces of pure faith and unadulterated love; wash the feet of your affections, purify them in the spiritual laver, Christ Jesus, with the living water of his eternal and Holy Spirit, take of the blood of his unspotted offering, and in a true spirit, put it on the tip of your right ear, in order rightly to understand his word, and upon the thumb of your right hand, and upon the great toe of your right foot, in order to act and walk uprightly before him, and in the presence of his congregation.  Have your spiritual mitres, girdles and garments made for glory and for beauty, that like verdant olive trees and luxuriant vines, and as burning torches and brilliant luminaries, in the firmament of the holy word, you may serve in fullness of glory, with all the faithful servants of Christ, day and night in his holy temple, to the glory of God and to the reformation of Israel; bring forth abundance of fruit, and when he shall appear with all his chosen saints, apostles and prophets, you shall receive in everlasting joy the promised reward.  Sweet, gracious, and full of consolation is the word which the Lord utters, “Well done, you good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many; enter you into the joy of your Lord,” Matt. 25:21.  Ah brethren, from our hearts, let us be admonished, that we be faithful to Christ and his church.

Brothers and sisters, I will now, in the peace of Christ, commit you all with one accord into the hand of the King of peace, and I do, with Paul, entreat you from my heart.  “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil my joy, that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem one another better than themselves,” Phil. 2:13.  For you well know by whom and unto where we are called.  Reflect upon this, so that no one may lose himself, on account of the shameful actions and abominations of another, nor destroy the good works of Christ, disturb the peaceable, grieve the pious, offend the weak, give excuse to the wanton, drive the wavering again to the world, bring reproach upon the word of the Lord and his church, bring revilers into repute, and encourage the blood-thirsty.  We [must] be careful in all things to finish our course in Christ Jesus with joy, and magnify his holy name, refresh one another in the peace of Christ, strengthen our sick, weak members, and young brethren, reprove the disorderly, publish abroad the truth of the Lord, and show unto all men a blameless, christian example.  To this end may the eternal God of omnipotence, grant us all, collectively and individually, the active spirit of his grace, with perfect obedience and love in Christ Jesus, our Lord, Amen.  Ah, chosen children!  God knows this is my final adieu to you all.  Love the brethren, and beware of dissension.

 

 

A PLEASING

Instruction and Doctrine

HOW ALL PIOUS PARENTS, ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES,

ARE REQUIRED TO

IN A

PIOUS, VIRTUOUS AND GODLY LIFE.

BY

MENNO SIMON.

Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.  You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” Prov. 23:13, 14.

“Correct your son, and he shall give you rest.”  “The rod and reproof give wisdom; but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother,” Prov. 29:17,15.

TO THE ELDERS in all churches, and chosen by God in Christ Jesus.  My beloved brethren in the Lord, unto you be grace, peace and mercy from God, our Father, through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the power and operation of the Holy Spirit, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  To whom be praise forever and ever, Amen.

My dearly beloved brethren in the Lord, we thank the Lord always for you in all our prayers, and pray without ceasing unto our kind Father, in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, that he would strengthen you with the gift of his Holy Spirit, that you may be filled with all knowledge, wisdom, discretion and power, necessary to rightly oversee the church of Christ, and to dispense the word of God to sincere, pious souls, according to your gift and calling, and that you may walk worthy of the vocation you are called to and chosen by God and his holy church as shepherds and teachers, to the end that the saints may be kept firmly united by the common service, to the edification of the body of Christ.  Take diligent care of your charge, and display a sincere concern for your flock, at all times earnestly exhort them to love and to do good works, like Paul; to the pure fear and love of the Lord; to a godly, unblameable conduct, in all humility, righteousness, love, peace, harmony, mercy, and obedience to the whole word of God.  Caution them against all false doctrine, and against the sword of evil tongues; for if a man does not bridle his tongue, nor restrain it, his worship is vain and unprofitable.  Also, that they take heed in their whole walk and conduct; circumcise their hearts; season their words, and perform all their actions in the fear of the Lord; that they may procure a good name for the gospel of Christ and his holy church; comply with his word and will, and thus attain unto salvation.

Beware of all innovations and strange doctrines not contained in the word of Christ and his apostles, nor conformable unto it.  Show forth, at all times, Christ and his word.  If any man introduce a doctrine differing from that taught by Christ and his word, let him be excommunicated.  “For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  He is the precious cornerstone in Zion, which shall abide forever.  Hear, believe, trust, follow, hope and abide in him; press diligently after him, conforming yourselves unto his Spirit, word and life, and you shall neither deceive nor be deceived.

My dearly beloved brethren in the Lord, I beseech and admonish you, do not neglect the ministration of your brotherly love, but attend faithfully to this.  Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he has purchased with his own blood.  Again, all the elders and I, who am also an elder, exhort with Peter,” Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but willingly.”  You who teach obedience, be yourselves obedient to the church of Christ in all things which are good and expedient; as examples for the flock.  As Paul directed Titus, saying, “In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works; in doctrine, showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”  Also, “You are to watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.”  Do all in the fear of the Lord faithfully, and with obedient and perfect hearts, for you are made keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service of it, and for all that shall be done in it.  Study, therefore, to show yourselves approved by God, obedient and blameless workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  My wish and desire therefore is that you be earnest in this, so that they who believe in God may be made zealous to excel in good works, which is good and profitable unto all men; instruct, reprove, rebuke, exhort and console, as occasion may require; and do not forsake the fraternal assembling of yourselves together, the meeting and ordinance of the Lord.  Strengthen one another kindly with the word of the Lord, that you may increase in faith, love and righteousness, and come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

With this, dear brethren, I will commit you to Almighty God, with the earnest desire that you propound unto all the brethren this brief admonition, concerning the education of children, in order that every one may observe and comply with the same in the full sense, in the bringing up, teaching and instruction of his children.  The Lord Jesus Christ be with my beloved, yes, dearly beloved brethren throughout eternity, Amen.

 

 

UNTO ALL ELDERS and joint-heirs in the faith of Christ, grace be unto you and peace from God, our heavenly Father, through his beloved Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, by the power and cooperation of his Holy Spirit, to his everlasting praise and glory, and to our edification and salvation, Amen.

You are aware, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, that we all, without exception, inherit from Adam an ill-disposed, evil and sinful flesh.  Yes, all our desires from our youth are evil continually, as Moses writes; also, that we find nothing in ourselves, as the treasure of our first birth, but perfect blindness, unrighteousness, sin and death.  If now the power of this innate disposition is to be diminished, suppressed and destroyed, it must be accomplished by the pure fear of the Lord, which proceeds from a true faith through the word of the Lord, and from a clear perception of the righteous judgment and terrible wrath of God, which will burn forever against all impenitent sinners.  For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; it drives out sin and makes upright, pious children, as we learn from Jesus Sirach 12; Prov. 9.  [CHCoG: Wisdom teaches us what sin is.  It is the Spirit of God dwelling within us that gives us the strength to overcome sin. Rom. 8:2-11.]

Since, then, the merciful Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the great, Almighty Lord Jehovah, has encompassed us with the light of his grace, and through faith in Jesus Christ, has awakened us from iniquity and ungodliness to a life of righteousness; therefore, let us diligently follow the glorious example of the true love of Matthew, the tax collector, who was not satisfied with enjoying the heavenly calling and grace himself, but went and invited other tax collectors and sinners, that they might also be saved and obtain the same spirit, grace and mercy from the Lord, for such is the nature and disposition of Christ, Matt. 9.

Therefore trade among yourselves with the talent given to you from on high, and be sincerely compassionate to your unbelieving, blind parents, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, servants and neighbors.  Do not conceal from them the gift, grace, word and will of God; for their feet are in the way of death; perhaps they may, at some time or other, extricate themselves from the snares of unrighteousness in which they are bound and entangled, and turn themselves to the Lord with all their hearts.  My dear brethren, understand this as regards men of sense and discretion.  Brethren in Christ, if we should see any such in danger of being drowned or burned, or in any danger that threatened their lives, and there was a prospect that we could render them assistance, would not our inmost souls be moved with compassion towards them, if perhaps we might afford them relief?  Undoubtedly.  And now we see with our own eyes, if we believe the Lord’s word, that they are walking in the shadow of eternal death, are already committed to the grave, and liable to be devoured forever by the everlasting, unquenchable fire, unless from their hearts they turn unto Christ and his word, repent, and become regenerated, as the Scriptures teach.  Therefore, consider seriously the heart-rending misery and wretchedness of their poor souls which will be cast into hell, and strive diligently and faithfully whether they may not yet, in some way, by your faithful ministry of pure love, and by the direction and instruction of the divine word, be rescued and delivered from everlasting destruction, and be made partakers of eternal salvation.  For genuine charity is of such a nature that it is constantly hungering and thirsting after the glory of God and the salvation of all men, even of those who are strangers to us according to the flesh.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, forasmuch as we are now constrained, by saving charity, with benevolence and sympathy, and know through the anointing of the Spirit and word of God, that the nature of man is completely corrupted in Adam, and is opposed from youth to the word of the Lord, therefore, let us be particularly vigilant and solicitous with regard to our own children, displaying unto them a greater degree of spiritual love than towards others; for they are the natural offspring of our flesh and blood, a serious and precious charge committed by God to our especial care.  Be, therefore, particularly mindful that you instruct them from their youth in the way of the Lord, that they fear and love God, walk in all modesty and submission; that they be genteel, well-disposed, discreet, honor and obey their father and mother, using reasonable language, not lying, nor clamorous, not stubborn, nor self-willed; for such is not becoming the children of the saints, Deu. 6; Eph. 6.  The world desire for their children that which is earthly and perishable, such as money, honor, fame and wealth.  From infancy they train them up to vice, pride, haughtiness and idolatry.  But with you, who are born by God, this is not the case; for it behooves you to seek something else for your children; namely, that which is heavenly and eternal, and hence it is your duty to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as Paul teaches, Eph. 6:1-4.  Moses commanded Israel to teach their children the law and commandments of Jehovah, to talk of them when they sat down in their houses, and when they walked by the way, and when they lay down, and when they rose up.  Now, since we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, Deu. 6:5-8; 1 Pet. 2:9; therefore it behooves us to show ourselves patterns and examples in all righteousness and blamelessness, and to appear unto the whole world as we are thereunto called.  If we do not keep a strict eye upon our own children, but permit them to follow their evil inclination, corrupt nature and disposition, not correcting and chastising them according to the word of the Lord, we may with the greatest propriety lay our hands upon our mouths, and remain silent.  For why should we teach those not of our household, when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?  Paul says, “If any does not provide for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel,” 1 Tim. 5:8.

My dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, take heed that you do not ruin your children and train them in vice through carnal love, and thus give offence; lest in the day of judgment, their souls be required at your hands, and it happen unto you, on account of your children, as it did unto Eli, the high priest, who was chastened by the hand of the Almighty, on account of his sons, 1 Sam. 3:11-18; but diligently imitate the testimony declared by the angel of the Lord respecting pious Abraham: “I know him,” says he, “that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment,” Gen. 18:19.  This is the chief and most important care of the godly, that their children may fear God, do good, and be saved; even as the God-fearing Tobias admonished his son’s children, saying, My son, listen unto your father; serve the Lord in truth, and cleave unto him in equity; be mindful of him, and let not your will be set to sin or to transgress his commandments; teach this to your children that they give alms, fear God all their days, and trust in him with their whole hearts.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, who sincerely love the word of the Lord, thus instruct your children from their youth up, and daily admonish them with the word of the Lord, setting a good example.  Teach and admonish them, I say, in proportion to the development of their understanding; constrain and correct them with discretion and moderation, without anger or bitterness, Col. 3; lest they be discouraged; do not spare the rod, if reason and necessity require it, and reflect upon what is written.  He that loves his son causes him to often feel the rod that he may have joy from him in the end.  He that chastises his son shall have joy in him.  “He that makes too much of his son shall bind up his wounds; and his bowels will be troubled at every cry.”  A horse unbroken becomes headstrong: and a child left to himself will be wilful.  “Give him no liberty in his youth, and do not ignore his follies,” Sirach 30:7, 11.  Bow down his neck while he is young, lest he grow stubborn, and be disobedient to you, and so bring sorrow to your heart.  Correct your son, and keep him from idleness, lest you be made ashamed on his account, Prov. 29.

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, if all parents who glory in the name of the Lord would deeply impress the words of Sirach upon their hearts, and inscribe them on the tablet of their souls, O, how virtuous, pious and devout would many children be raised, who now, alas! run wild and unrestrained, honoring neither their parents, nor the church and gospel of Christ.  “An evil-nurtured son,” says Sirach, “is the dishonor of his father;” again, says he, “Though they multiply, rejoice not in them, except the fear of God be with them; for one that is just is better than a thousand; and better it is to die without children than to have them that are ungodly,” Sir. 22:3; 16:2, 3.

Beloved brethren, consider these words well, and revolve them in your minds.  Necessity impels me to write; for some, alas! live such lives with their children that one is constrained to write and reprove.  I write and admonish you again: Take heed, lest the blood and condemnation of your children come upon you.  If you love your children with a godly love, teach, admonish and instruct them in God, lest the word, blood and death of the Lord be made unto them of no effect, and his name and church be blasphemed by the unwise through them.

Beloved brethren in Christ, if you rightly know God and his word, and believe that the end of the righteous is everlasting life, and the end of the wicked is eternal death, endeavor to the utmost of your power to conduct your children in the way of life, and divert them from the way of death, as far as it lies in you.  Pray to Almighty God for the gift of his grace, that in his great mercy, he may guide and preserve them in the right path through the directing influence of his Holy Spirit.  Watch over their salvation as for your own souls.  Teach, instruct, admonish, threaten, correct and chastise them, as circumstances require.  Keep them away from naughty, wicked children, among whom they hear and learn nothing but lying, cursing, swearing, fighting and knavery.  Have them instructed in reading and writing, bring them up to habits of industry, and let them learn such trades as are suitable, expedient and adapted to their age and constitution.  If you do this, you shall live to see much honor and joy from your children.  But if you do not do it, heaviness of heart shall consume you at last.  For a child left to himself, without reproof, is not only the shame of his father, but he brings his mother to shame, Prov. 29.

This brief admonition I have written to my beloved, from motives of sincere love; and not without a reason; for in the course of my ministry, I have too frequently observed how disorderly, improperly, no, heathen-like, many persons conduct themselves towards their children.  The absurd, senseless love of the flesh has such an influence over some, and they are so blinded by the natural affection for their children that they can neither perceive nor observe any evil, error or defect in them, notwithstanding that they frequently abound in idle tricks and wantonness, are disobedient to their father and mother, murmur at them, collect and carry abroad lies, quarrel and fight with other children, and mock people as they pass by, crying and calling after them.

Brethren in Christ, to deliberately ignore, by reason of a blind, carnal love, these and similar disgraceful tricks of children, is a love not to be applauded, but much rather to be shunned and avoided; for it is earthly, sensual, devilish.  And forasmuch as we ought to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the holy nation, the chosen generation, yes, the bride of Christ, it by no means becomes us, to have, or to bear such sensual love or preposterous affection, in any circumstances, towards our children; but it is our duty, as far as it lies in us, diligently and earnestly to instruct and govern our children and household, as well as ourselves, in conformity to the sincerity of godliness, a life of virtue, and the word of God.

With this, I will have delivered and preserved my soul in the presence of the Lord and his church, and I do desire, for the Lord’s sake, that this epistle may be taken in good part, and read by the elders in the hearing of all the brethren, to the end that the innocent may take heed, and be circumspect, and those who are guilty of these missteps, errors and failings, may reform, and that without considering me as being officious, in regulating the concerns of their household.  Also no! In the presence of God, I desire nothing in this, but that in all things you conform yourselves to the Scriptures, and to christian gravity, and that all the concerns of the Lord’s church, may be conducted according to the divine will and ordinance.  The Searcher of hearts and that is knows that I do not lie.  I would, therefore, that you also accept and receive it in love; for in sincerity have I written it.

And now, beloved brothers and sisters, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved without spot, and blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he who called you.  May the merciful Father, through his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, strengthen you all with the precious gift of his Holy Spirit, Amen.

 

 

A Dissuasion to all the brothers and sisters in Christ, living at Amsterdam and there about, not to attend the papal worship; because they do not feed the hungry souls with the bread of the divine word, but with the leaven of human doctrine.

“You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man,” Lev. 19:32.

“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:9

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 3:11.

TO ALL the true children of God, and partakers of the Promise of the Kingdom of Christ, grace and peace be with you.

My beloved in Christ Jesus, I am troubled at heart for your sakes, inasmuch as I hear that you hunger and thirst after righteousness, and that there are so few carvers who rightly cut the bread of the divine word for the hungry consciences, and that there are so few shepherds who rightly pasture the sheep of Christ, and that there are so few masons to rightly adjust the living stones in the temple of the Lord; so few watchmen who rightly watch the city, the new Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet; that there are so few fathers to beget the children of God, and so few to nourish and feed these begotten ones, but that every thing is to the contrary.  For those who truly serve in that capacity do not deny the bread, nor the children to whom it belongs.  And had they the bread by which the soul lives, not so many children would famish, while they distribute the bread once or twice a week (understand, the bread necessary to support the body).  Inasmuch as they give the eggs of cockatrices unto the people, therefore observe what the prophet says concerning them, “He that eats of their eggs dies,” Isa. 59:5; John 6:58.

Again, concerning the shepherds who pass themselves for shepherds of Christ, who pasture the sheep for the sake of their own selves, as Eze. 34:8 says.  You see how little they care for the sheep; they do not care whether they have pasture or not.  If they only get the wool and milk they are satisfied.  They pass themselves for shepherds, but they are deceivers; for they are widely different from the shepherds of which we read in Jeremiah 3:15, who are shepherds after his heart, whom the Holy Spirit has sent.  But they do not have the love of Christ which Peter had, and therefore Christ has not commanded them to pasture his lambs.  And if they are not commanded to do so, namely, if they are not sent, how can they then preach, inasmuch as they are not divine shepherds who lead the sheep into the green pastures of the divine word, but let them famish.  They are not the shepherds who lead them to the refreshing waters, but they lead them to the stagnant pools which they have fouled with their feet, that is by their glazings and opinions, Eze. 34:19.

They also pass themselves for joiners who build the Lord’s house; but they do not know Christ, the corner stone.  They never adjusted a stone in the house of the Lord, namely, of the living stones which are built into a spiritual building, which building is the church of God, Heb. 3:6.  For wherever there are two or three stones together, cemented by the mortar of love, there they busy themselves to break them down, and to destroy them, as you may see verified in all countries and cities.  O, how different are they from those of whom Paul says, “You are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building,” and we are God’s laborers, namely, such as should build the house of the Lord according to his word, 1 Cor. 3:9.

If they, then, are not builders, they must be those who break down.  They also pretend to be the husbandmen who take care of the vineyard.  How they take care of it, and protect it against all wild animals, I will leave every christian to consider for himself.  How they seek the profit of the Lord of the vineyard, and how they give him the usury or honor, the Lord of the vineyard knows.  He also knows how they scourge, rob, hunt, banish and kill his children, for no other cause than that they neither do nor dare consent to them, inasmuch as they see that they are not the true husbandmen, but destroyers, Matt. 10:17; 21:34.

Yet they pass themselves off as watchmen.  If they are watchmen, they are blind watchmen and dumb dogs which cannot bark, Isa. 56:10.  Hosea, the prophet, shows what they watch for, and how they blow the trumpet, Hosea 4.  How far they are from the word of Jehovah, which says, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman,” Eze. 3:17.  “Lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression,” Isa. 58:1.

They want to be fathers who bring forth the children of God and nourish them.  But how can they beget children, when they have never rightly conceived?  O, how different they are from the fathers of whom Paul speaks, “You have not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel,” 1 Cor. 4:15; “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” Gal. 4:19.  Here observe who are the fathers of the true children.  Now show me one child they have begotten, namely, one child which was born by God through the gospel.  Paul also says, “I have fed you with milk,” 1 Cor. 3:2, “even as a nurse cherishes her children,” 1 Thes. 2:7.

Behold, sincerely beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, you will observe that you have few carvers who cut the sweet bread, but it is leaven which they give you; that they are not shepherds who pasture the sheep, but wolves that destroy them; that they are not builders that build the temple, but they break down that which was built; that they are not husbandmen who protect the vineyard of the Lord, and give him his rent, but they are false husbandmen which scourge, stone, torture and kill the servants, as you, alas, may plainly see; that they are not the watchmen who watch over the city of Jerusalem and warn her of the enemy, but they betray the citizens and kill them; that they are not fathers nor nurses, but they kill that which was begotten and nourished, as Pharaoh, king of Egypt, killed all the true Israelite boys which he could lay hold of.  Therefore it is necessary to separate from them and to shun them, as we read in Matt. 7:15, “Beware of false prophets;” and Paul says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ,” Col. 2:8.

The church of Christ is the bride of Christ, and he will not allow his bride to conceive but of the incorruptible seed, 1 Pet. 1:23.  As Paul says, “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ,” 2 Cor. 11:2.  Yes, Paul would have the bride, or church, so pure that if there were any who caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which they had learned, they should be avoided.  Yes, if they had any in the church that were drunkards, covetous, fornicators, idolatrous or proud, they should avoid them and not eat with them, 1 Cor. 5:11.  How, then, could they allow such men to preach?  Yes, if they preached any other gospel than that which had been preached unto them, they should be accursed, Gal. 1:8.

To the Philippians Paul says, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil-workers, beware of the mutilation,” and says, “Brethren, be followers together with me, and mark them which walk so, as you have us for an example; for many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things,” Phil. 3:2, 17, 19.  Mark to what kind of people he refers.

Second Epistle of Menno Simon.  Being a consolation to his much beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, at and about Amsterdam, beseeching them to visit one another during the time of pestilence, and not to fear death, because it is but a passage into a better life.

“O, man, why are you joyful?  What dust and shadow are you!  Be proud, for your life lies buried in death!”

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 3:11.

MERCY, grace and peace be unto you.  The Lord said unto Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live; and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die,” John 11:25.  Chosen brothers and sisters in the Lord, whereas I hear that the fire of pestilence is raging about you, therefore I am constrained by the love I bear to you and to all the pious, as I am aware that all flesh is frightened of death, and that the death of friends is hard to our natural feelings.  But I write to you who are overshadowed by the heavenly light and called into the communion of Christ, a short epistle of consolation, that you may now, and at all times diligently watch for the coming of the Lord, and prepare your whole life, heart, mind and actions for death.  For Paul says, “It is appointed unto men to die once,” Heb. 9:27.  Also Sirach says, “All flesh grows old as a garment; for the covenant from the beginning is, You shall die,” Sir. 14:17.

If we, with a new, regenerated and penitent soul, firmly adhere to Christ, truly believe his word, faithfully follow his footsteps, are governed by his Holy Spirit, and die unto the old, sinful life, no, in every manner, die unto the world, flesh, and devil; if we sincerely seek God’s kingdom, righteousness, word, will, truth, praise and honor, and walk inoffensively in his ways, then we shall live with, in, and through him for ever, John 11:25.  We shall not be hurt by the second death, Rev. 2:11, notwithstanding that we were, in earlier times, dead in sins, as all the others, full of covetousness, unchastity, pride, hatred, envy, idolatry, and were, by nature, children of wrath, Eph. 2:3, for unto the truly penitent and believing it is all forgiven through the death of Christ, it is requited by his blood, and reconciled by the only peace-offering─his innocent, bitter death.  Paul says, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death,” Rom. 8:1,2.  Therefore be of good cheer and grateful; praise him who has delivered you by the power of his word from the dominion of sin and death, and has thus called you to the inheritance of his glory by the Spirit of his grace.  Again, I say, give him the praise, and that with a godly, pure conscience and with an unblameable, holy life in faith, wholesome, firm and unblemished in love, living in hope, and fervent in prayer, adorned with the raiment of righteousness, and girded with the beautiful girdle of perfection in the Spirit.  Have oil in your lamps, be sober and awake, so that when the true Head, the glorious King and Bridegroom of our souls comes, he may not find you asleep, and that on account of your not being ready, he does not cast you into eternal darkness, and close the door upon you, and thus give you your part with the hypocrites.  I repeat it, be sober and awake; labor while it is day, lest the dark night overtake you.  O, Reflect on what is meant! Psm. 117:1,2; Rom. 15:11; Col. 3:14; 1 Pet. 5:8; John 12:35.

Beloved, faithful brethren, be strong in the Lord, of good cheer and consoled; for your whole life and death are in the hands of the Lord.  Yes, all your hairs are numbered; and without him not one shall drop from your head; he knows the number of your days, though your life is measured as a hand breath.  Therefore do not fear, but willingly serve each other in time of need.  O, do not stop visiting the sick, for by this you shall be established in love, as Sirach 7:35 says.  “And it is also the nature of true love, to lay down our lives for the brethren,” 1 John 3:16.  Reflect on what I tell you; you are aware of one thing, that an obedient, virtuous son, servant, or bride, does not fear the coming of the father, lord or bridegroom, but they long for their coming; “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,” 1 John 4:18.  You are also aware that a fatigued laborer is desirous of rest, and an afflicted soul of consolation.  And I have no doubt but my beloved children are sealed in God with a good conscience; that he is your Father, and you are his children; that Christ Jesus is your Lord, and you are his servants; that he is your bridegroom and you his bride; and that you, for the sake of his blessed name, will unfeignedly proclaim and teach it to the whole world for doctrine, instruction and reproof, that they may sincerely repent and be gained unto God.  On this account you must suffer such excessive misery, trouble, privation and slander from the indolent, wicked generation, as may be noticed on every hand.

Therefore it is reasonable that we should not be afraid of death, which is but a rest from sin and the entrance into a better life, nor should we be sorrowing about our friends who have fallen asleep in God, as those do who do not expect the reward of the saints; but we should joyfully raise our heads, gird our loins with truth and be joyfully taken up to the heavenly Canaan thus, to be with our only and eternal (mark, eternal) Joshua, Christ Jesus, to take the promised inheritance, and thus be freed from the laborious, troublesome way of our hard pilgrimage, which we must lead through the rough desert of this wild world so long as we shall be here; and then we shall rejoice in everlasting peace, Eph. 6:14; Luke 22:29; Rev. 14:13.

O, chosen brothers and sisters!  How gloriously are they gifted by God, who, in grace, are delivered from their body of sin, and from all perishable things, and are taken up into the holy tabernacle of peace, and called to the eternal, holy Sabbath-day!

The old crooked serpent shall no longer sting them in their heels; yes, no pain nor disease shall touch them, and the last enemy, which is death, is already overcome; their tears are dried, and their souls are at sure rest and peace in the paradise of grace, in Abraham’s bosom, under the altar of God, Rev. 6:9, on Mount Zion, delivered from their great tribulation, clothed in white robes, worshiping before the throne of God and the Lamb, waiting a little while until the number of their brethren shall be fulfilled, Rev. 6:11, to be fashioned like the glorious body of Christ, Phil. 3:21, to shine forth as the sun, and thus joyfully enter into the eternal wedding and feast which is prepared in heaven for all the chosen ones through the blood and death of Christ.

O, how holy and blessed are they who are called by Christ to this feast, and have come to it, clothed in unspotted, clean garments!  O, sing the pleasing and joyous hallelujah in your hearts, and thank him who has given them all this by the Spirit of his love, in eternal grace, and who has chosen you to enjoy the same part with them!

Reflect and be consoled.  Sincerely fear God, serve him in truth, uphold unity, love and peace; watch and pray; walk unblamably; fight your fight patiently; strive after the good; be friendly to one another; willingly submit to your elders and obey them, and remember them and me in your prayers.  May the God of peace, our merciful Father, by his blessed Son, Christ Jesus, bless you now and at all times, unto more righteousness, in perfect love.

Your brother and lover of your souls in truth; at present enjoying tolerable health.

MENNO SIMON.

November 14.

═════════════════

An Epistle of Menno Simon, to the brethren at Franeker, province of Friesland, Netherlands.

“The love of God is true wisdom,”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life,” John 3:16.

An Epistle of Menno Simon, to the church at Emden, East Friesland, Germany.

“For no other foundation can any man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 3:11.

With a sorrowful heart I make known to the brethren that I receive one letter after another complaining of the excommunication, in regard to husband and wife; which causes great trouble with some, at which I am not at all surprised.  For, from the commencement of my service, which is more than twenty years, I have feared this issue, which cannot be settled under such excitement as is, at present, found in the Netherlands.  Dietrich Philip, our brother, and I counseled with the elders, in regard to this matter, as far back as 1547 and then it was resolved that we should act, in this matter, according to circumstances; and it was again so resolved at Wismar, two years ago.  Therefore we should admonish all according to the most definite and plain rules; but if we cannot thus convince, we should not force any one beyond what he conscientiously believes to be right, but bear with him in love and patience.  I hope that every pious person is sufficiently instructed in the word of the Lord to know that if either a husband or a wife commit adultery, theft, witchcraft or any thing else that is criminal, that such criminal misbehavior is summarily punished at the hands of the magistracy; or, to know that in case one cannot undisturbedly live up to their faith, on account of their spouse, but is at all times combated with false doctrine, beaten and abused, and thus is sliding back in faith, through the obstacles of such fallen spouse, one should abandon such spouse if he would stand before God and the church and save his soul.  But if he or she can live up to his or her faith, in all things, undisturbedly, and is not combated with false doctrine, then they are conscientiously bound to remain together undisturbedly; for they are one flesh and live together as husband and wife should live.

Since there are many dangers and offenses connected with this matter, to punish the souls thus bound with excommunication, who otherwise walk unblamably, in every respect, before God; and, since we all are flesh, therefore I pray that the merciful Lord may keep me from consenting to or teaching such doctrine.  In view of this, my heart was filled with sorrow on hearing that a certain length of time was given to Swaantje Rutgers, in which to leave her husband; or that, in case of her failure to leave him, she was to be excommuned and delivered over to satan.

O, my chosen brethren, consider your actions well.  What slandering words you will put into the mouths of the slanderers!  And what bad reports you will spread of the word of the Lord and his church!  How many grieved souls you will afflict!  Yes, how many souls you will separate from the truth, and what dangers will beset you!  We never dared follow such a doctrine, for we fear the consequences.  O!  That you would desist from it.  How would I, an afflicted man, rejoice!  My heart shall never consent to such indiscreet action, and say amen to such intentions.

I desire to teach, according to my humble talents, a gospel that builds up, and not one that breaks down.  One that is acceptable, and not one that is offensive.  I do not intend to encumber the service of God with something upsetting, for which I have no scriptural grounds.  I can neither teach nor live by the faith of others.  I must live by my own faith, as the Spirit of the Lord has taught me through his word.

Here you have my admonition.  The Lord grant that you may follow it in all love, peace and unity.  Do not be too hard nor yet too lenient.  Excommunication is instituted for reformation and not for [encouraging] corruption.  O, that all were of one mind with me in this matter.  How discreetly would the ban be practiced in this respect.  But, as it is, every one follows his own inclinations and imagines it [to be from the] Spirit and Scripture.

O Lord! Grant them your Spirit and wisdom, that they may see and judge rightly, “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” Eph. 4:3.  Beloved brethren, follow my advice, for God’s sake; for it will cause many souls to rejoice.  The Spirit of wisdom be with you unto eternity, Amen.

Your unworthy brother,

MENNO SIMON.

November the 12th, A.D. 1556.

 

 

This Index uses the page numbers from the original English translation.  To find the passage in this version, multiply these numbers by 2.07.

Preferably, use the search function with the digital versions.

A                                                                 PAGE

Abraham in covenant with the Lord, 33

An Admonition to the Scorners of baptism, 38

All things not pure to the pure, 70

Christian and affectionate exhortation to all in authority, 75

Appeal to the Learned, 88

—To the Common people, 92

—To the Corrupt Sects, 94

Apparel, costly, avoid, 96

Admonition to strive for the Crown, 100

Adultery, Menno’s views of, 145

An Exhortation to the dispersed and unknown children of God, 176

Afflictions of the flesh beneficial, 205

A Pleasing Meditation on the Twenty-fifth Psalm, 213

B

Baptism, 24

—Not to be administered to infants, 25

—Not a substitute for circumcision, ibid

—A washing of regeneration, 26

—Consists of more than water or the administered sign, 27

—To be administered to those who can understand, 28

—Inward and not outward saves, ibid

—A sign of obedience, ibid

—Luther on infant, 29

—Bucer and Luther differ on, ibid

—Infant, an idolatrous institution, 30

—Changed as to its mode and time, ibid

—Infant confirmed by Pope Innocent, ibid

—Menno’s reasons for opposing infant baptism, 31

—To be administered to the believing, ibid

—Counter Arguments, 32

—No saving ordinance, ibid

—Infant, no ceremony of God, 33

—Whole families baptized, 36

—Origen, Augustine and others on infant baptism, 37

—Without regeneration of no avail, 38

—The application of a handful of water, ibid

Birth, the New, Fundamental doctrine of, from the word of the Lord, 167

—The fruits of, 169

—Transforms from death unto life, 234

Ban or Exclusion, 239

C

Conversion of Menno Simon, 5

Children in covenant with God, though not baptized, 34

Circumcision no figure of Baptism, ibid

Children have the promise without Baptism, 36

Conduct of Preachers and their qualifications, 61

Counter Arguments of Babylon and its builders, 66

Consoling Admonition concerning the sufferings, oppressions and persecutions of the saints, 179

Cross of Christ, 183

Children, Education of, 273

D

Decrees issued against Menno, 8

Day of grace, 15

Doctrine of the Preachers, 57

E

Exhortation to take heed of the of day Grace, 15

Exhorts to observe the doings of the world, 17

Erring sects, 76

Examples from the Scriptures, 186

Extracts from Eusebius, &c., 191

Excommunication, 245

—Meaning of, ibid

—Who are to be excommunicated, 246

—Reason why commanded in Scripture, ibid

—Has no respect of persons, 247

—Carnal sinners to be excommunicated and directed to repentance, 251

—Of secret sinners, who are again inwardly admonished by the Holy Spirit and sincerely and truly converted, 253

—Matt. 18, explained, 259

—Not to pervert the Truth, &c., 256

—Backsliding and recovery of Peter, 257

—James 5:19, explained, 258

—12th and 13th chapters of 2nd Cor. explained, 259

—The Judgment and Keys of Christ used in a proper manner, 260

—Conclusion, 264

F

Faith, 20

—Foundation, conclusion of, 101

Faith, true christian, 105

—Unfeigned has energy, 108

—Papistic belief, 111

—Lutheran, ibid

—Belief of the English or Zwinglians, l12

—True Christian belief, 113

—God’s ardent care for believers, 114

—Noah’s, 119

—Abraham’s, and obedience, 121

—And fidelity of Moses, 126

—Of Caleb and Joshua, 127

—Of the pious King Josiah, 129

—Of the Centurion of Capernaum, 134

—Of Zaccheus, the Tax collector, 136

—Of the Murderer, 139

—Of the Sinful Woman, 143

—Of the Woman of Canaan, 148

—Conclusion, 164

Fornication, Menno’s views of, 145

G

Gain, unlawful, avoid, 137

K

Koran, Dathan and Abiram, 19

L

Leading Articles of a Christian Foundation, 75

Law of Moses could not be changed until Christ Jesus came, 97

Letter to the brethren at Amsterdam, 277

—Second, to the brethren at Amsterdam, 291

—To the brethren at Franeker, province of Friesland, Netherlands, 283

—To the Church of Emden, East Friesland, Germany, 289

M

Menno becomes a Priest, 3

—Impressions concerning the bread and wine, ibid

—How he spent his time, ibid

—Begins to read the Scriptures, ibid

—Begins to examine the merits of infant baptism, ibid

—Interview with Luther, Bucer and Bullenger, ibid

—Returns to Witmarsum, ibid

—Is deeply grieved over the conduct of the Munsterites, ibid

—Begins to preach repentance, 5

—Receives a call to preach from a number of persons who were of one mind with him, ibid

—Consents to do so, 6

—Confesses his weakness and laments over his persecutions and poverty, 7

—Severe persecutions, &c., 8

—Removes to Woeste Veldt, ibid

—Protected by the nobleman van Vriesenburg, ibid

—Death &c., 9

Marrying out of the Lord, consequences of, 19

Magistracy, supplication to the, 22

Munsterites make inroads and defend themselves with the sword, 4

P

Preface, The day of Grace, 13

Preachers, sending, 53

—Must be called, 55

—Result of uncalled, 56

—Doctrine of, 57

—Scriptures show who are the true, ibid

—False, likened to dry wells, 59

—Conduct of, 61

—Not to preach for money, 63

—Counter Arguments, &c., 66

Preface to the persecutions of the Saints, 181

—Twenty-fifth Psalm, 214

—Ban or Exclusion, 241

—Education of Children, 271

R

Repentance, true and sincere, 17

—Not to be practiced as the world does, ibid

—Examples of true, 18

—Fruits of, ibid

—To be practiced by those who can understand, ibid

—Must be sincere, 19

Rulers, blood-thirsty, their end, 84, 85

Reconciliation does not depend on works alone, but on grace, 158

Resurrection, spiritual, 229

—Bodily and spiritual, 231

—Conclusion, 237

S

Sicke Snyder beheaded, 3

Supper, The Lord’s Holy, 40

—Sign used for the reality, 41

—Corruption of, 47

—Bread and Wine not the flesh and blood, 49

Shunning Babylon, 62

Sending Preachers, 63

Salvation ascribed to faith, l59

Sufferings for the Cross of Christ, 195

Shunning, Six reasons for it, 248

T

To the Reader, 2,12

The time is fulfilled, 15

The Lord’s Holy Supper, 40

To the Bride, Kingdom, State and Church of the Lord, 98

The Twelve Foundations of Zion, 100

The regenerated have a spiritual King, 170

The Cross of Christ a source of delight, 209

W

Weapons, carnal, not to be used, 82, 95, 198

Water, A handful, 38, 124

What the priests will do for a guilder, 161