Menno Simons · 100 of 109

A VERY SINCERE EPISTLE TO MARTIN MICRON. · Part 1

ALL Scriptures teach and enjoin, honora­ble Martin, that we should love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. On these two commandments, says Christ, hang all the law and the prophets, Matt. 22:37‑40; Mark 12:29; Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:5.

All that Scripture teaches is love. "Every one that loveth," says John, "is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love," And, "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him," 1 Jn. 4:7, 8, 16. Without this love, it is all vain, whatever we may know, judge, speak, do or write, 1 Cor. 13:1. The property and fruit of love is meekness, kindness, not envious, not crafty, not deceitful, not puffed up, nor selfish. In short, where love is, there is a christian, also.

Since we are pointed to love by the Script­ures, and cannot be christians without love, and as you do not only call yourself a com­mon layman, but also an exemplary teach­er; therefore you have done quite wrong not to have taken into consideration the commandment of love, in the fear of God, before you published your false, infamous, ambitious, anti‑christian "Narration" and book.

Yon have manifested yourself before God and man in such a manner as though you had, never in your life, felt and confessed the least particle of the pure, unadulterated nature of love, as I shall show and explain, by the grace of the Lord, in an impartial, sincere conscience, by this my admonition, out of love of the divine honor and the holy word; as also, out of love for your poor soul, that you (if there is yet a spark of life and a faint light left in you, by such showing; written for your own good, may be induced to see your ulcers and deadly wounds, and yet be cured by the heavenly medicine of the Lord's Spirit and word by sincere repentance, to the praise of the Lord and the salvation of your soul. If there be yet any reason left in you, reflect upon what I tell you.

First, it is manifest, and cannot be suc­cessfully denied by you nor by any person else that you have by your writing made a liar of the Almighty, great God, the God of heaven and of earth, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who can neither lie nor de­ceive; for he testifies of Christ, and says, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35; 2 Pet. 1:16; and you say that he is not; for you have verbally confessed to us, and you write so yet at different places, that the man Christ (which you call the human nature in Christ) had no Father.

Observe, whether you are not one of the spirits, of whom John says, "He that be­lieveth not God has made him a liar; be­cause he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son," 1 Jn. 5:10. Beloved Mi­cron, reflect, and see if I do not write the truth.

Secondly, it is manifest that you have also made a liar of Christ, who is the eter­nal truth, by your writing; for he confesses more than sixty or seventy times, in John, that he is the Son of God, and that God is his Father; that he came from heaven, and that he was gone forth from the Father; that he is the only begotten Son, &c., and you boldly proclaim to the public, that he is not; that he had no father, according to his humanity; that he is of the flesh and seed of Mary, of earth, and the natural son or seed of Abraham and David.

Observe and see if you are not one of the false teachers and prophets who forsake the Lord who bought them, 2 Pet. 2:1. Dear Micron, reflect and see if it is not the truth that I write.

Thirdly, it is manifest that by your writ­ing you make false witnesses of the heav­enly messenger, the angel of the Most High, Luke 1:31; of the humble, plain Nathaniel in whom was no guile, Jn. 1:47; of John the Baptist, the holiest born of woman, Matt. 11:17.; of Martha, the hostess and servant of the Lord, Luke 10:38; of Peter the faithful shepherd, Jn. 21:6; John the apostle whom Jesus loved, Jn. 13:23; 21:20; and of Paul the chosen vessel, Acts 9:15. For they all unanimously testify, and that without any division whatever as to human­ity and divinity that Christ Jesus is the Son of God; and you publicly proclaim that he is not according to his humanity.

Observe, and see whether you are not a servant of the abominable beast which opened his month in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his taber­nacle, and them that dwell in heaven, Rev. 13:6. Dear Micron reflect, and see if I do not write the truth.

Fourthly, it is manifest that you have made such witnesses of your own brethren who were present at the discussion (and, who, alas, did not know much about the matter), as those were who testified against Christ, Stephen, and Naboth (that is, if your brethren agree with your unjust, par­tial charges; which I hope they do not); for as those testified, out of hatred of the truth, against the righteous, to please Jeze­bel and the Scribes, thus these, out of hatred of the truth, testify against me, to please you and those of your faith (I speak of the guilty ones), to defame me thus, notwith­standing that they heard your confession concerning the seed of woman, on which foundation your whole doctrine is built; also, concerning the two Sons in Christ, that the crucified one should have had no father; again, that you could not success­fully maintain the purity of your Christ; that you could make no reply to the Script­ures we have read; that you tried to shelter behind an unscriptural question, which we answered in such a manner, that all your refuge was cut off, and that you had to turn from one thing to another. One would reasonably suppose, if they were people of common self‑respect who sought the honor of God, and your salvation, as we supposed them to be at first meeting them, that they must charge you before all men that you have, out of mere hatred and envy, spoken partial, devilish falsehoods, and not the impartial, godly truth, to defame your neighbors, and that you have done so to your own eternal shame. But it is an old proverb: "As the shepherd goes, the sheep follow." Christ truly says, "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch," Matt. 15:14. Dear Micron reflect, and see if I do not speak the truth.

Fifthly, it is manifest that you lamenta­bly deceive all your readers and hearers who believe your writing, and that you kill their poor souls. For it is known to the Lord, who has eyes as a flame of fire, to yourself, and to us all who were present, that in fact your cause was lost; yet you console them with devised lies, as is the way with all false prophets, whereby you rob them, according to John, of both the Father and the Son, 1 Jn. 2:23; keep them under the wrath and curse, Jn. 3:38; where­by you keep them out of God, and God out of them, 1 Jn. 4:15, so that they do not overcome the world, 1 Jn. 5:4; for they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Observe and see if you are not one of those who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, as the Lord says, Matt. 23:13. Dear Micron reflect, and see whether it is not the truth I write.

Sixthly, it is manifest that you have, with your writing acted toward some of us, and also toward myself personally, not as an honest, virtuous, godly, pious christian, but rather as a dishonest, shameless, indiscreet, and blood thirsty Coryoeus, or informer. For it is a fact that you have, without the truth, registered a poor, innocent man (whom you well knew), as a teacher, who is no teacher, nor apt ever to become one, whereby you will, perhaps, deprive him of his poor children of their whole welfare, nay, of thousands, if the Lord in his provi­dence does not prevent it. The Spirit of the Lord does not enjoin you thus to act toward the innocent.

Dear Micron, if you would have had a single drop of pious blood in your veins you would have had mercy on the poor, in­nocent, unworthy servant; whom you thus, alas, repay before the whole world, for his faithful services of love willingly shown you and yours with sincere, christian intentions.

In the same manner you have acted to­ward the others who furnished you with a dwelling place, victuals and drink, who so­licitously led yours into the city, furnished them situations, and showed them all man­ner of kindness, in pure love. Let the Chris­tian reflect and judge according to the Lord's Spirit and word, whether this is the work of unadulterated, christian love, which wishes harm to none, much less does it.

Besides, you have also, nearly pointed out my place of abode which I had enjoyed until that time (of which Herman, also, had to deprive a poor child), while you are well aware that every where they try inno­cently to take my life, out of mere hatred of the truth. By which doings you surely can not teach unto righteousness, nor in­struct the ignorant. And the work in itself does not prove to be the reasonableness and love of a regenerated christian, but it rather shows an unmerciful, cruel, envious, hateful, ravenous, blood‑thirsty heart, and the bitter mind of an informer, as all the reading world must judge and say.

Whether you have done this by the mer­ciful, compassionate, faithful, unadulter­ated and pure Spirit of Christ, as a pious, virtuous man, or by the unmerciful, tyran­nical, faithless, false and unclean spirit of anti‑Christ, as an ungodly and shameless spy, to cause me, an old, afflicted man, some trouble, I will leave to the considera­tion of your own soul, as before God who tries the hearts and reins, in Christ Jesus.

Observe and see if you are not one of those, who say in their hearts, It is hard for us to see him; for his life does not con­form to ours. Dear Micron, reflect and see if it is not the truth I write.

Seventhly, it is also manifest that you encourage and strengthen the rulers in their impenitent lives, not a little, by your writ­ing, who are, as a general thing, quite ob­durate, proud, ambitious, puffed up, self­conceited, pompous, selfish, earthly, car­nal, and in part, blood‑thirsty. And, that you may the more gain their favor and praise, I, miserable man, must be your blind and imprisoned Samson whom you make to play and dance before the princes of the Philistine, as a mockery and deri­sion, although I never, in my life, spoke an indiscreet word against the rulers, or against their office and service.

I have, from the beginning of my minis­tration, fraternally warned them in my writings in faithful, unadulterated truth, from my soul, against the corruption of their souls; admonished them to‑a godly, penitent, christian life; pointed them with the Scriptures to the unblamable Spirit, word, commandments, prohibitions, ordi­nances and example of Christ; and, when you proposed your Pharisaical, Herodian question concerning the Magistracy, I said nothing more to you than that it would hardly become a true, christian ruler to shed blood, for this reason: If the transgressor should truly repent before his God, and be born of him, he would then also be a cho­sen saint and child of God, a fellow‑par­taker of grace, a spiritual member of the Lord's body, sprinkled with his precious blood, and anointed with his Holy Ghost, a living grain of the bread of Christ, and an heir to eternal life, and for such an one to be hanged on the gallows, put on the wheel, placed upon the funeral‑pile, or in any manner be harmed by another Chris­tian, who is of one heart, spirit and soul with him, would look somewhat strange and unbecoming, according to the compas­sionate, merciful, kind nature, disposition, Spirit and example of Christ, the meek Lamb, which example he has commanded all his chosen children to follow.

Again, If he remain impenitent, and his life be taken, one would do nothing else but unmercifully rob him of the time of re­pentance, of which, in case his life were spared, he might yet avail himself; do nothing but tyrannically offer his poor soul, which was purchased with such a precious treasure, unto the devil of hell, under the intolerable judgment, punishment and wrath of God, so that he would forever have to suffer and bear the tortures of the un­quenchable burning, the consuming fire, eternal pain, woe and death. Never taking into consideration that the son of man, who says, "Learn of me," Matt. 11:28, I have given you an example, Jn. 13:15, follow me, Matt. 16:24, is not come to corrupt souls, but to save them, Matt. 18:11; Luke 19:10.

Behold, this was the foundation of my innocent words which I at that time spoke to you in sincerity of heart, according to the style and Spirit of the gospel of Christ, to which words you give this hateful color, before all men, saying, "That I make many pious rulers, murderers of men; that I pro­tect and encourage the rogues in their wick­edness." I will leave it to your own judg­ment what kind of a spirit prompted you thus enviously to write about my plain words. O, Micron, you carry this thing too far. For what else do you do by your writing, but upbraid and blaspheme Christ Jesus himself, whose example I follow in this matter, for pointing to the adulterous woman, who was already adjudged by the law of Moses, to repentance, and letting her go unpunished, Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22; Jn. 8:11; as also, faithful Paul, who did no further punish the Corinthian, who, ac­cording to the Mosaic and human law, was deserving of death, than with separation, whereby he won him unto God; something which he could not have done had he been killed. Dear Micron, reflect, and see if I do not write correctly.

I do not doubt in the least but that all reasonable men who shall read my writ­ings, if they have any scriptural knowledge at all, will say that I have not spoken un­reasonably, but truly and christianly, al­though I have to hear from you such a base greeting.

Profane history shows that the Lacedæ­monians, who were gentiles, did not prac­tice capital punishment; but they impris­oned them and put them at labor. There are instances that when some of them showed natural piety and found then to be wise in counsel, honorable, and master of their passions, were called to high offices. They were not urged by the blood‑thirsty spirit of murder, as is the case with some of the preachers and writers who dare boast of the crucified Christ and his office or serv­ice, who do not only imprison and take the life of those who are guilty according to the justice of the world, such as thieves, murderers, wizards, &c., but also the sin­cere, faithful children of God who sincerely seek Christ Jesus and his holy truth, and walk unblamably before the world, to de­liver them without mercy into the hands of the blood‑stained beadle to be tortured, drowned, burned, or put to the sword, out of mere hatred of the truth, because they shun their deceiving doctrine and false reli­gion, according to the word of God. O Lord!

That I write the truth in regard to this matter, is shown to you and all the world, not only by the Papist and Lutheran writ­ers, but also by the books of your highly esteemed predecessors and brethren, John Calvin, Theodore Weselin Beza, and John A'Lasco, which were prepared to be print­ed; but by the contradiction of some peo­ple, were again recalled.

Beloved Micron, if you and they were born of God, and urged by the Spirit of the Lord; if you had tasted the sweet word of God, and the fruits of the future world, you would never have thus troubled the pious, as you have done by your untrue, false writing; nor would you encourage any body in their bloody doings; but point them to the meek Lamb, and let the dead bury the dead. Ponder upon what I mean.

I cordially agree with you that the office of the magistrates is of God, and that it is an ordinance of God; but I deny that one is, or, can be a christian and not follow his Prince, Head, and Predecessor, Christ, but ornaments and decks his unrighteousness, boldness, pomp, splendor, avarice, robbery and tyranny with the name magistrate; for whosoever would be a christian, must fol­low the Spirit, word, and example of Christ, no matter whether he be emperor, king or anything else, Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1; 1 Tim. 2:1; Tit. 3:1. For these following admonitions apply, to all alike: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," Phil. 2:5. "He that saith he abi­deth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked," 1 Jn. 2:6.

Behold, you show by actual facts that you speak and teach to tickle their ears, and the lusts of their hearts, inasmuch as you again point them to the vengeance of the Mosaic law, and not to the longsuffer­ing of Christ, and thus you encourage them in their vain, proud, pompous, and unmer­ciful, carnal life which is so little in keep­ing with the life of an innocent, contrite, humble, merciful, compassionate, pious and, regenerated christian whose conversation is in heaven, Phil. 3:20. It is manifest that you are a deadly enemy to their poor souls and do not deal by them as becomes the service of a true messenger of God. For they build the wall, and you daub it with untempered mortar, Ezek. 13:10. You cry peace, peace, while there is no peace, Jer. 8:11. Beloved Micron, reflect if it is not the truth I write.

Your unscriptural adulations concerning the oath show that I write the truth. For Christ says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool, &c., Matt. 5:33‑35. And you, Micron, say that nothing but light­minded, false oaths are hereby prohibited, as if Moses allowed Israel to swear light­mindedly and falsely; and that Christ, un­der the New Testament only forbade it; notwithstanding that all intelligent readers know that it was not merely allowed Israel to swear truly, but also commanded them to do so, Lev. 19:12; Deut. 10:20.

If the Israelites, then had the same lib­erty in this matter that we have, as you have it, and if it be such a glorious thing and honor to God rightly to swear by the name of God, as you dare boldly lie against your God, then tell me why the wisdom did not say, You have heard that it hath been said to them of old, thou shalt not forswear thyself, thus I say, Thou shalt do likewise? While he says, Moses commanded not to forswear thyself, but I say unto you, Thou shalt not swear at all. O God, what pity that such plain words of the Son of God are thus lamentably adulterated and daubed over with the foul mortar of serpentile flat­tery, merely to suit the rulers who are but of dust; as Musculus and you have done! How little you have pondered upon the Scriptures which say, "We ought to obey God rather than men," Acts 5:29.

Inasmuch as it is very plain that Christ Jesus, the teacher of righteousness, forbids us the oath of Moses, which was also an oath of truth, and sworn by the name of the Lord, which you use and highly recom­mend to the reader, and commands us to the true, yea and nay; and as I know to a certainty that his word is the truth, and his commandment life eternal; therefore I am sincerely frank and bold thus to teach it, truly believing that he will not deceive us by his doctrine, Jn. 17:17; 12:50.

I cordially rejoice that such faithful chil­dren in truth are found, who are prepared to seal the holy commandments and testimo­ny of the Lord with their possessions and blood, notwithstanding I have to hear so much on that account, at your hands. Nor am I in the least doubtful but that they, at the day of Christ, will have a part in my crown; for they, for a testimony against you and all the world, suffer for reproving your deceiving, lying hearts and tongues, in faithful love, that you may be brought to reflect; notwithstanding that they, alas, are called such detestable people, by you.

If they were no more faithful to truth than Herman and you have shown your­selves to be towards me, then they would not so valiantly adhere to their true yea and nay, unto death. Of this we are con­vinced.

As it is manifest that they so faithfully adhere to their undeceiving yea and nay, which Christ has commanded us, Matt. 5:37; Jas. 5:12, that they would rather forsake their possessions and life than to transgress this commandment; and their whole mind and life ever conform to this yea and nay, always spoken truthfully, before God and man; and, as these same people are now troubled on that account; therefore I will herewith leave it to the con­sideration of all impartial, reasonable readers as also to yourselves, whether I and our beloved brethren are deserving of such innocent bloodshed because we lead them by the assistance and power of the Lord, by virtue of the word in the Holy Spirit, from falsehood unto truth from unrighteousness unto righteousness, from darkness unto light and from the old, sinful life of ungodliness unto the penitent, new life of godliness, to which Moses and Christ, to­gether with all the prophets, apostles, sac­rifices, commandments, prohibitions, cere­monies and sacraments unanimously point; or, whether those are deserving of being called deceivers by you, and your like, tickling, and blood‑thirsty preachers and writers, who teach the powerful doctrine as taught from the lips of the Lord; and wheth­er all such valiant witnesses and saints of Christ who would rather die than willfully transgress the word of the Lord, or confirm aught farther than by yea or nay, are de­serving of such treatment, whereby you open the doors wide, to the rapacious rulers to rob such pious souls, and to the blood­thirsty, to murder them.

Dear Micron, if you were one of the true messengers and servants of Christ, as alas, you boldly boast, you would reasonably be expected to point the magistracy who have, as a general thing, high and proud minds and are quite carnal in their life, to the true, sincere repentance which avails before God; and to teach them the Spirit, mind, nature, and word of the Lord; for then the unction itself would teach them, without, even the counsel of man, how they should conduct themselves in regard to the delicate matters of bloodshed, the oath and other matters. But now, alas, things are inverted, that there may be something in­vented wherewith to charge us before the blind world, and cry that we are unfit to live. O, Martin, your scorpion's sting and lion's teeth are too sharp and envious; for your venomous, deadly stings and bites are, alas, too numerous!

Say, who is wronged because we can not conscientiously swear? because the Lord has forbidden it, if we testify to the truth when required, and make use of no deceit?

The oath is required for no other purpose but that we shall truthfully testify. Can the truth not be told without being sworn? Do all testify to the truth, even, when under oath? To the first question you must an­swer in the affirmative, and to the last in the negative.

As the oath is not the truth itself to which one testifies, or as the truth is not estab­lished by the one that takes the oath, why can not the magistracy, then, accept the testimony confirmed by yea and nay, as commanded of God, instead of that con­firmed by that which is forbidden? For they can punish those who are found false in their yea and nay, as well as those who commit perjury by forswearing themselves.

I trust that no person is so confused but he knows that the ordinances of God, which are of heaven, should not give way to the ordinances of men, which are of earth, but that the earthly ordinances of men should give way to God's ordinances, if they would be christians and do according to the truth.

Therefore it would be well for you to ob­serve, first, that you by your writing con­cerning the oath make ignorant or false teachers of Christ, the Son of God, and of his holy apostle James. For Christ's foun­dation and doctrine is, that Moses had commanded not to forswear thyself; but that under the New Testament one should not swear at all. James says, That we should not swear "neither by heaven, nei­ther by the, earth, neither by any other oath," Jas. 5:12 (mark, he says, neither by any other oath), and you gloze it, by the infatuation of the serpent, that it is not so, but that we may swear to the truth, &c. And thus the eternal Wisdom himself, and his holy witness James, alas, must be your disciples and servants.

Secondly, that you condemn the innocent, and clear the ungodly, both of which are an abomination in the sight of the Lord, Prov. 17:15, whereby you strengthen the hands of the evil‑doers, and daub the wall with untempered mortar, Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 13:10, as was once said. Beloved, reflect, and see if you are not one of those whose mouths speak great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of ad­vantage, Jude 16.

Thirdly, that you cause great tribulation to the pious hearts who are born of the truth and faithfully walk and seal it with yea and nay, with their possessions and blood, and thus load the innocent blood upon yourselves, Rev. 17:3.

John saw the finely attired whore upon the scarlet colored beast, drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And whether or not you, in your heart, have drank or do drink such a draught of blood with her, I will leave to the omniscient Judge, and to yourself. Dear Micron, reflect, and see if I do not rightly point out your sores.

As you did not fear, but diligently ex­erted yourself, to adulterate, obscure, and break the Lord's express word, for the pur­pose of pleasing the magistracy; thus you, also have, alas, exerted yourself to garble my words, as if I had cited the words of David (who does not delight in false doc­trine neither has sworn deceitfully, Ps. 24:4), in my article concerning swearing, for the purpose of proving that under the New Testament we should not swear; while I adduced these words for no other purpose, as my words plainly imply, than to show that but little attention was alas, given to the piety implied in the words of said psalm, as is plainly shown by your false, defaming tongue and hand, toward me, poor man, who, alas, has or finds but little consolation from the children of men.

Besides, I had written a note in the mar­gin of the page, in plain words, that it was spoken by David in a spiritual sense; and that under the New Testament we were to use yea and nay, instead. You have spared nothing to make me ridiculous and obnoxious to the reader.

In the same manner, you have not avoid­ed to call me inconsistent, because I wrote that we should not swear at all in regard to temporal matters, because Christ did not use the word verily, in worldly matters, but merely in his doctrine, &c. I know of noth­ing that I wrote which you did not wrongly explain and garble. I wish that you would once consider, in the fear of God, what kind of a spirit it is that thus taught you. My saying that one should not swear at all in worldly dealings, was taught me, not by the flattery of the old serpent, but by the word of the Lord, Matt. 6:37; Jas. 6:12.

But that I made an exception in regard to the doctrine, I did it to aid the reader, for the purpose of showing that Paul and Christ did not make use of the terms, Verily, and, God is my witness (which the learned would construe into an oath for the purpose of making a foundation for their doings), in treating of temporal matters, but in their teachings only.

If this matter is to be strictly weighed in the balance of the holy, divine word, in such a manner as to keep unanimity be­tween all the Scriptures, then it should be ob­served that the oath and some affirmations are not of the same form, in the Scriptures. For it is manifest, that an oath was always sworn by God, or by something else, and is so sworn yet, which is not the case with an affirmation, as Paul and Christ used in their teaching. Abraham said unto his servant, "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh; and I will make thee swear (mark) by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth," Gen. 24:2.