Menno Simons · 102 of 109

A VERY SINCERE EPISTLE TO MARTIN MICRON. · Part 3

Behold, dear Micron, I have placed the clear mirror of truth before the eyes of your conscience, and properly dissected the in­visible members of your soul. Now open your eyes, and you shall see what kind of a man you are, and how greatly you are spiritually diseased; from which, spring all these obnoxious exhalations, such as up­braiding, lying, defaming, false explana­tions, adulteration of the Scriptures and flatterings. "For by the law, is the knowl­edge of sin," Rom. 3:20, thus this epistle will discover unto you how deadly you are stung by the serpent, and how he has cor­rupted you, before God, by the accursed venom of his evil nature, and poisoned your whole life.

If the merciful Lord, by his loving kind­ness, should make you feel and know your abominable shame which you have com­mitted against God and man by your slan­derous writing, which, I fear, you have un­til now, by your great blindness, hatred, ambition, and self‑love, but little noticed, then be not dilatory (if you would not die in your ungodliness) in coming before the throne of grace, the ever blessed Christ Jesus, with a broken, contrite, repentant spirit, in an adulterated faith, with a changed, penitent, and new heart; for he is the spiritual, brazen serpent, raised unto all of Adam's children (who are poisoned in Adam) as a wholesome sign. He is the man who can cure you of sill the deep wounds of your diseased soul. He is the Physician in Israel. With him alone, is found the ointment and medicine of eternal life. And if you would commit yourself to him and follow his advice, that you may find help and health for your diseased soul, you must give yourself up to him; obey his word, will, commandments and prohibi­tions; deny your selfish, ambitious, false, partial, envious, vain, wrathful flesh which leads you to this abominably false writing; become little in your own sight; lay a bet­ter and christian foundation in your heart; quit your flattering, adulteration of the Scriptures, idolatrous sacraments and all hypocrisy; truly seek and fear the Lord and his holy word, with sincerity of heart; reconcile your neighbors whom you have wronged through pernicious falsehood, with tears, in sincere brotherly love, and by oth­er writings publish to the world that through mere hatred against the truth, you have causelessly still more defamed their name, which was already hated too much for truth's sake; something which, I fear, you will hardly do unless you become a more godly, penitent and pious Micron than you, alas, have been hitherto.

So long as you do not do as here pointed out, it is manifest that you without cause hate your neighbor, and are inimical to him, out of hatred of the truth; and are therefore separate from Christ, with the murderers. O, friend, reflect and repent. Take heed, lest you forever destroy your precious soul for the sake of a little tempo­rary and vain praise! But a short time, and Micron is no more! O, the sentence, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the ever­lasting fire! Oh, oh, what a sentence!

Friend Micron, in faithful love I warn you. Take heed, I pray you. I have known several persons who were prompted by a like spirit of bitter zeal against the Lamb and his chosen ones, who were ad­judged and punished by the Lord, who does justly, and properly rewards the unjust, be­fore the eyes of men.

It is about eighteen or nineteen years since that highly esteemed man, who was much respected by the world (whose name and country I will not mention), wickedly advised that they should destroy me to­gether with the pious. His words and un­godly thoughts were hardly finished until the avenging hand of the Lord was laid upon him. He dropped at the table; and thus in a moment his blood‑thirsty, impen­itent, ungodly life was ended in a terrible way. O, fearful judgment!

About the same time it happened to an­other man, who thought that he would so set his trap that I could not escape, that he at the same meal he was eating while speaking these words, was suddenly struck by an arrow from the Lord, stricken with a severe disease, and thus had to give an ac­count before the Lord. He was buried with­in eight days from the time be spoke these words.

Another who was to become an officer to the emperor at a certain place, thought that he would destroy this people, if there was any virtue in the imperial army. He came to the place where he was to be situated and serve in his capacity; and four or five days thereafter the bell was tolled and the requiem sung over him. Behold, thus God, the Lord, annihilates the designs of the un­godly who storm this holy mound, and de­stroys those who hate his truth and are in­imical thereto.

In the year 1564 three of our brethren were at Wisburg, in Gotland, for the pur­pose of earning a livelihood. A preacher of the city, named Lawrence, who was of the spirit of his father (the devil), cried after them in the street, hooted at them, and said "That they should not there practice their religion, if it were to cost him all that was surrounded by his clothes," meaning, his body and soul. A few days afterwards he conversed with. one of these brethren in the presence of another preacher who was not unreasonably minded. He behaved outrageously. The great Lord, in the presence of both of them, smote him so that he, at once, lost his voice; and within twenty‑four hours he was a corpse. O, ter­rible punishment and judgment of God!

A case almost similar happened the same year at Wismer. They had accepted a crier, named Doctor Smedesteet, who said, "That he would rather have a hat full of our blood than a hat fall of our gold." He persuaded the magistracy, who glady hear such makers of pillows, "To proclaim, just before cold winter, to the poor children to clear the place before St. Martin's day; or else they would be put where they would not like to go." Smedesteet was very joy­ous that he had accomplished the fulfill­ment of his heart's desire, but to his sor­row; for the same day the Almighty, great Lord laid the hands of his wrath upon him, and within seven days the Lord took him away by a severe illness; yet the blind, ob­durate world does not observe these things.

In the year 1555 in the same city there was a preacher named Vincent, who lives there yet, who was never tired of upbraiding and slandering. On the day they call the Lord's ascension‑day, he read the Scripture, "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved," Mark 16:16. He said, " He would up­braid and slander us so long as his mouth would open." The same hour the strong Lord closed it, and bound his tongue. He fell down in the pulpit, and was carried by some of those present as a punished one into his house, a dumb man. Behold, thus he may punish those who would touch the apple of his eye and harm it. If I were to relate all the incidents which in my, time befell the enemies of the saints, it would re­quire a separate volume. Therefore I ad­vise you in sincerity of heart, no longer to oppose such a strong and avenging God and Lord. I tell you in Christ that it will be too hard, yes, too hard for you to kick against the pricks, Acts 9: C. For his name is Sovereign Lord, Mighty Prince, Isa. 9:6. °` Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders 8" Ex. ls:11. His arrows never miss, and when he calls we must appear. None can escape from him, and avoid his wrath. O, Micron, take heed.

Good friend, if your battle was against me, as you perhaps think it is, you would already have won it. For the whole world, in this matter, is on your side, nay, the serpent himself, and against me; for this foundation is the only weapon, according to the doctrine of John, which is to conquer his kingdom, the world. But the battle is not against me, but against the truth itself,. against the Father and his blessed Son, against the whole Scriptures, and against those who dwell in heaven. Therefore take heed. For, although the reckless, rough world may say amen to your cause, yet it will not be the case with the Most High, whose glory, honor, truth and testimony I, according to my small talent, uphold, by his grace and assistance.

And if you do even deprive me of my honor, reputation, body and life, which I have already long deemed of little conse­quence, for Christ's sake, in the sight of the world, which are not concluded under Christ's prayer, Jn. 17:9, though, thank God, I have never harmed you, nor wished you any harm. Still, God the Father will remain the true Father of Christ, and Christ the true Son of God; and you will have to turn from your impure, anti‑christian doc­trine to the unadulterated, pure doctrine of Christ, or else you will be one of those of whom it is written: "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God," Jn. 3:18. Neither partizan. ism nor disputing will prevail against God and his word. He is the one who will have the praise, and his word is the doctrine which will remain the truth. If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that his testimony and word are true, and that his ordinances are the true ordinances; if you be not born of God; do not become of divine disposition and nature; are not urged by and possessed of the Holy Ghost; do not sincerely repent; if you be not in Christ, nor Christ in you, then, according to the doctrine of John, you are one of those who have no God, 1 Jn. 2:22.

But if you have Christ, if you actually believe that he is the true Son of God, then you have both the Father and the Son, 1 Jn. 2:24; and you will walk as he walked, you will not willfully tell a falsehood; for you are born of the truth; you will not hate; you will not defame: you will not inform against your neighbors; and you will wrong no person. You will seek the sal­vation of others, and not their corruption; you will reprove their sins; you will right­ly teach, and not deceive them, for the spirit of love which does justly by God and man will dwell in you and prompt you.

If you have Christ, in truth, you will walk in the light, Jn. 3:21.; 8:12; you will fol­low the true shepherd, and will enter in at the right door, Jn. 10:2; you will walk upon the true road; remain in the truth, in the right vineyard, Jn. 16:1; build upon the true rock, Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:5; you will not adulterate the word of God; for your spirit is one with the Spirit of Christ; your faith will be one with his word, and your life, though in weakness, one with his life.

You will seek the praise and honor of the Lord, and not your own; you will con­fess Christ as your Savior, at the risk of life or death by all the world; all your pleasure will be in the law of the Lord, and your whole life in his fear; your thoughts will be pure, and all your words well‑sea­soned; your daily combat will be against the world, the devil, and your own evil flesh; and you will, by your honest, virtu­ous life, set an example to all the world; the cross, taken upon yourself for the sake of the Lord's word and testi‑pony, you will patiently bear; and, if you should thought­lessly think, say or do any thing wrong, you will sincerely lament it. In short, you will prove by all your actions that you are a chosen. child of God, born of the heavenly seed of the holy Word, and that you are become a live member of the body of the Lord.

Behold, dear Micron, such penitence and and reformation I sincerely wish you; and I would like to see it, truly manifest in you, in power and truth, and that I then, for the sake of the testimony of Jesus, together with you, would have to make a sacrifice of my blood, to the praise of the Lord, and to the edification of our neighbors. I re­peat it, repent; that the precious treasure, given for us, be not lost in your case.

I would herewith commend you to Al­mighty God. He will bestow upon you ac­cording to his great grace, as I would like to see you receive. No more hereafter, however much you may cry and write, un­less you be converted into a better mind.', and I constrained and urged to do so by the godfearing.

Nor shall I hereafter solicit a public dis­cussion with any person, and that for this reason, first: Because I have these many years, desired it by numerous written and verbal requests, and have never been grant­ed it. From which it is manifest that they care but little about the glory of God, and the souls of men.

Secondly, because your principal teach­ers and exemplary men, as John A'Lasco, Calvin, and Theodore Beza, whom you con­fess to be your most worthy and most be­loved brethren, are men of blood. That this is the case is testified to by their own books, as also by old Seructus of Geneva, and Joris of Paris, who was burned in Eng­land.

Thirdly, because your brethren, the Welsh church, as they are called, at Frankfort have, in their publications, sworn against us; which two things we did not so posi­tively know heretofore as we do now.

Inasmuch as I plainly see that there is but deceit, faithlessness, blood‑thirstiness and perverseness found among the children of men wherever one may turn himself; and as nothing does, nor can avail on earth but the praise of Christ and the salvation of souls; therefore I will let Babylon, with. its­false preachers, impure doctrine, idolatrous baptism and supper, together with its false religion, and impenitent, vain, easy life, be Babylon, and will, with the holy proph­et Habakkuk, stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and thus clearly sound the trumpet of the holy, divine word from the walls and gates of Jerusalem, ac­cording to my small talent and faithfully awaken the citizens of the eternal peace, joyfully to sing the lovely Hallelujah through the streets, with grateful, joyous hearts, to the honor of God, Heb. 2:1; to attire themselves, before God‑ and the world, in the shining, white raiment of the saints, in sincerity of heart and purity of doctrine. I will faithfully admonish them with care­ful, pious Esdras and say, My people, hear my word, and prepare yourselves for the battle, and evil things, &c., 4 Esdras 18:41. With holy Paul, " Take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day," Eph, 6:13. And with Christ himself: Watch and pray, Matt. 24:42; Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36; 1 Pet. 4:7. For the prince of darkness with his whole force and kingdom, besieges the city of God, storms by night and day, uses many means, with flesh and blood, as false­hood and false doctrine, lusts of the eye, imprisonment, banishment, confiscation, bloodshed, tyranny and violence. Whoso­ever does not constantly pray, and fear the Lord, can not stand.

I will let Babylon be Babylon. Those who are piously inclined will leave off their ungodliness and wed themselves to Christ; for truth is revealed, and the repast is pre­pared. Blessed is he who enters in with sincerity of heart, and saves his wedding garment. I would sincerely warn all the chosen children of God, the sincere faithful brethren and sisters of Christ, with beloved John, our most beloved brother and fellow in tribulation, in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ, and say, children, 11 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love 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 passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever," 2 Jn. 2:16‑‑17. Friend Micron, again be warned; repent, pray to God for grace, and earnestly reflect upon that which I have written. .And be not angry because I have thus sharply re­proved you. I have done so truthfully, and to the honor of God, and to the benefit of the reader, as I reprove the whole world, without respect of person, that you may rightly learn the brightness of Christ, see and feel your foul sores, be healed by the Lord's medicine, sincerely repent, and be eternally saved. I herewith commend you to the gracious, merciful God and Father, for the enlightenment of your blind soul, and the reformation of your sinful life, by his blessed, first‑born, and only true Son, Christ Jesus, by the manifestation of his eternal Holy Ghost unto more righteous­ness. "Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful," Prov. 27:6, 6.

MENNO SIMON.

October 16th.