Menno Simons · 4 of 109

OF THE MISSION OR CALLING OF THE PREACHERS. · Part 2

Answer. The deceased translators, au­thors and composers we will leave undis­turbed, for they have already found their Lord and Judge; but we will turn to the living, with whom we have to speak. His saying, that writing, translating and com­posing are the surest and best fruits, is, in my opinion, a very senseless assertion, for such things can be done through learning and skill in languages, without regeneration and change of heart, as he himself well knows. Yea, as the Bible or the Scriptures are read by the greater part of the world, with impure, carnal hearts, so, also, they can, undoubtedly, be translated, through the knowledge and skill of languages, from one language into another, with a carnal, unregenerated and impious heart.

And as hymns are generally sung in God's houses or temples, carelessly, and are light‑mindedly sung, here and there, in the streets and in riotous taverns; so, also, can they be composed by a light‑minded heart without spirit or regeneration? These are, therefore, not the surest and best fruits, as Gellius pretends to say, for they do not re­main. But whatever some, in by‑gone times may have written, in true zeal, which is Scripture or conformable to Scripture and useful to the regeneration of the pious, we should, reasonably, praise and esteem.

However, the surest and best fruits arc, to so preach the word of God in power, that many may be born of him and be led to sincerely fear and love him; to cordially serve their neighbors; to die unto flesh and blood; to believe on Jesus Christ with all the heart, and tremble at his word; that they may do nothing contrary to it; may truly worship God and conform their whole life or walk according to his Spirit, word and example, for such fruits remain.

I would further say, He boasts of the dan­ger and constancy (as he calls it) of some of their number; now, in these times of war, which he calls a time of trial, because, (if we understand him aright), they can no longer uphold and protect their cause by force of arms; and consider it a noble fruit, although they have, perhaps, not been tempted unto death as we daily are; and therefore he so indiscreetly condemns and profanes our cause, which the Lord knows we have maintained and will maintain in spite of sword or any other deadly weapon, something which cannot be truthfully re­futed. We have patiently walked ac ford­ing to the example of Christ; sacrificed our possessions and blood which might have been saved by a single, hypocritical word; and at all times, for our invincible constancy, we suffer with fire, water and sword; be­ing defenceless, and without any resistance "we are killed all the day long; we are ac­counted as sheep for the slaughter," Rom. 8:36.

But we give praise to God, that some of them have sacrificed their blood for the sake of the testimony which they had, and with James count them happy; yea, that they are joint‑heirs in the sufferings of Jesus Christ; for their deeds have proven that they sought God and were faithful as far as they were enlightened. But what will that avail them, while they close their hearts to the light of truth; contend against the Spirit, word and will of God; preach lies, pervert and abuse the sacraments, and console and encourage the wild, wicked world in their impenitent, reckless life? Something which the faithful heroes have not done, for they were faithful in every thing which they acknowledged as the truth. If they had acknowledged more they would, doubtlessly, have died for the sake thereof as well as for that which they did, at the time, acknowledge.

If our opponents are of the same spirit then they may boast. But their fruits open­ly testify that that they are, alas, very dif­ferent.

Again, he writes, that the fruits of an out­ward life, alone, avail in our sight, &c. Do not our sole oppression, trials, great tribu­lation, misery, possessions and blood; be­sides, our open and frank confession, open­ly testify that he makes this assertion with­out all truth. Yea, that he openly slanders and wrongs us? O malitiosam calumniun ac perversitatem, (O malicious calumny and perversity).

My kind reader, observe that all Script­ures and the power of true faith constrain us zealously to teach an upright, pious, godly and penitent life; for Jesus Christ says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works." Paul, also teaches, "That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ." That we might walk worthy of the Lord and his gospel. Peter says, "Having your con­versation honest among the Gentiles;" and John says, That we should walk even as Christ walked, Matt. 6:6; Phil. 1:10; Col. 1:10; 1 Pet. 2:12; 1 John 2:6.

Since Scripture, on every hand, enjoin upon us a pious life, as has been heard; therefore it is reasonable and just, if we be­lieve the word of God, that we zealously fol­low, in our weakness, that which the Spirit of the Lord has so clearly taught and en­joined in his holy word.

But his assertion, that such fruits, only, avail in our sight comes, alas, from an im­pure heart. For, I presume, he well knows, that we plainly teach that we cannot be saved by outward works, however great and glorious they may appear or that we can thus entirely please God; for they are ever mixed with imperfection and weakness and, therefore, through the corruption of the flesh we cannot acquire the righteousness re­quired in the commandments; therefore we point, alone, to Christ Jesus who is our only and eternal Righteousness, Reconciliation and Propitiator with the Father, and do not at all trust in our works.

My reader, I write the truth in Christ Jesus, and lie not.

O, that Gellius would quit his unguarded talk, and speak no more than that which is true, for a liar is a disgrace and shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and that he could once feel what a true, christian faith is, what it requires in its nature and what it produces in power; he would then know what it is that brings forth such a pious, penitent and unblamable life which he has in times gone by, so disgracefully slandered and upbraided as devilish fruits, hypocrisy and a new mockery; and, as appears, would yet upbraid, if it was not for the experience of many and the great quantity of innocent blood which has been shed.

Behold, dear reader, now you can see how they adorn and deck their abominable hy­pocrisy and fruitless, impenitent church‑ser­vice with writing, translating, singing, &c., although generally alone without repent­ance and regeneration, as heard; and how they basely construe and explain the sin­cere, pious fruits of true faith which are taught and represented by all the Scriptures, ceremonies and sacraments; that they may daub the wall with untempered mortar and console the poor, miserable people in their disregard of the word of the Lord. But when the Lord's hurricane, flood and great hailstones shall come with a great noise, then they will break down the wall that they have daubed with untempered mortar and bring it to the ground so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, &c., Ezekiel 13:13, 14.

In the third place, Gellius writes that the office of a preacher consists of two parts, namely, in rooting out, destroying and opposing; also in sowing and building, &c., and boasts that their fruits, especially as regards the first part, cannot be denied in many kingdoms and principalities; and that the Lord Jesus Christ (as he says), has, through their services, planted sincere repent­ance and such true christian faith in many hearts, that the small community at Emden, in sure expectation of a reward in heaven, willingly supports several hundreds of poor people by their alms, &c.

Answer. We admit that the first part of a preacher's office consists in rooting out, de­stroying and opposing, and the other of sow­ing and building up, and this is a proof for us that they are not the preachers to serve in such capacity. Although they have renounced, in different cities and countries, (for which we praise the Lord), some abuses and idolatries, which were so gross that they might be plainly noticed, without Scriptures, to be abominations; yet, the root of all deceit remains untouched, namely, the false doctrine and unscriptural sacraments, with which they console the world and encourage them in their impenitence and natural state or Adamic heart which is the source of all unrighteousness, as may, alas, be seen on every hand by the fruits.

If, then, they are the true preachers as they pretend to be, let them execute the first part, namely, To break in pieces with the hammer of the divine word the proud, obdu­rate hearts, the impure, avaricious hearts, the blood‑guilty, tyrannical hearts, &c., of whom it is written that they are worthy of death; to humble them by the eternal judg­ment and punishment of Almighty God; to discover to them their ungodly and corrupt nature and flesh, by virtue of the commands; that they may learn to know themselves, see their shame and thus, with sorrowing and repenting hearts, in the fear of the com­ing wrath and eternal punishment of the just and great God, sincerely and trem­blingly repent and die unto their sins, cru­cify their flesh, smother their lusts, and walk before their God with broken and humbled hearts. Behold this is the true and principal rooting out, destroying and opposing to which Scriptures say, the true preachers are called.

Then let such moved and humbled hearts, such penitent and sighing sinners, who are, with Peter and Magdalene, heart broken, bitterly weep, and with David confess their guilt; then point them to the only and eter­nal seat of grace, Christ Jesus; teach them the eternal mercy, love, favor and grace of God, according to the Scriptures; console them with the gospel of peace; carefully anoint their wounds, caused by the sharp and smarting wine, with the oil of the joyful promises of Christ, that they may thus, through faith arise with Christ from the death of their abominable sins into the new life of all virtue; that they may, in true faith and in pure, unfeigned love, ever walk without all offence, according to the exam­ple of Christ and all the pious; and give thanks to the Lord for his manifest love. Behold, thus sow and build, all true preach­ers who are called of the Spirit of the Lord and are fit for his service.

Dear reader, observe; Since Gellius and the preachers, then, are not such destroyers and builders, rooters and planters, as their deeds testify; but destroy that which is good and build up that which is bad; that they root out truth with their offensive doc­trine and plant falsehood with their false sacraments and easy life; therefore our as­sertion is incontrovertible, that they are not the servants of Christ nor his true messen­gers.

He writes, "that the Lord, through their service, has planted true repentance and such a true christian faith in many hearts, that the small congregation at Emden were comforted in expectation of a heavenly reward."

Answer. If this were true indeed, as he writes, it should be attested by the fruits and manifested by the works. Paul says, "The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power," 1 Cor. 4:20. Let nobody falsely boast; we will be judged of one before whom nothing is hidden. Nobody knows what true, christian faith and true repentance are, but he who has truly received them and felt their power. If God, then, plants repent­ance in so many hearts, as Gellius pretends, why is he and his like preachers, yet so impenitent, so inimical and refractory to truth, and so offensive and blamable in wholesome doctrine? If those of whom he speaks are of the same mind with him, which we trust they are not, then he has not written the truth; this is too plain to be denied.

Those hearts in which God has planted true repentance and an ardent, true, chris­tian faith cannot, especially in these times of manifest truth, long be hidden, nor re­main without the cross promised by the Ho­ly Scriptures, if, even, their own preachers and relations are to persecute them. For if they would testify their faith by a frank confession, by a pious life and by works, which are the fruits of true and ardent faith, they would soon find that they have to bear the cross with Christ, their Lord. However much Gellius may garble it in his writings, the word of Christ is and remains the word of the cross; all who accept the word in power and in truth must be prepared for the cross; this, both Scriptures and experi­ence abundantly teach us.

This had necessarily to be said, lest we be consoled with a false boasting and idea, and lest the word of the Lord, spoken to the false prophets, be applied to us; say­ing, Ye promise life to those souls to whom you should not promise it, "By your lying to my people that hear your lies," Ezekiel 13:19.

Notwithstanding, many are suffered in their churches who wantonly live in pomp, splendor, carousing, avarice and according to the lusts of the flesh, which service a true and faithful preacher, through which God works, does not allow, if the evangeli­cal Scriptures and apostolic ordinances and doctrine shall avail and are true.

But, as to the alms and support of the poor, I would say, that it is a good and praise‑worthy work, and cordially approve of it. Also, that many pious, gentile phi­losophers, as Aristotle, Plato, &c., have considered it as right and just. But we con­tradict that sincere and true repentance, or the true seed and foundation of sincere love, which is a fruit of true faith, consists there­in; for we may give in hypocrisy, as well as in love, as may be seen by the Scribes and Pharisees, by the open heathens and daily, yet, by the papists.

Paul also agrees with this, saying, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing," 1 Cor. 13:3. Therefore, let every one take heed for what purpose and with what heart he bestows his alms. For the love which is of God and of a divine nature hates all boasting and hypocrisy, neither does it know them; of this I am convinced.

If Gellius points to the support and serv­ice of the poor, which I deem praisewor­thy, as a fruit of true repentance, then I would ask in the first place, Whether he finds a lack of alms with our church; al­though they are exiled to foreign countries and live in poverty and misery and are partly robbed of their possessions?

In the second place I would say, that while he wants to boast of true repentance, he should first commence with the repent­ance of such faith as brings forth the love and fear of God, and not with the alms for the poor. For the Lord's own mouth speaks, That love is the keeping of his command­ments; yea that it is the greatest command­ment, Deut. 6:6.

Yea, my reader, if he and his could fully comprehend sincere, true repentance and true christian faith, which he thinks has been planted in their hearts, O, how cordi­ally would they fear their God, love and thank him for his favors and loving‑kindness, and how willingly would they follow and obey his holy word! But how they do love and thank him for his loving‑kindness and how they obey and follow his word, their actions and fruits, alas, too plainly testify.

If they love God, and if a true, living faith and genuine repentance has been im­planted in their hearts, as he boasts, why do they, then, yet walk after the manner of the Gentiles in pomp and splendor, in the lusts of their eyes, embellishment of their bodies and houses, in avariciousness, ca­rousing, &c.? and why do they not heed the words of Paul? namely, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die," Rom. 8:13.

If they love their neighbors, as the Script­ures command and true repentance brings forth, why are they, then, so usurious, ava­ricious and perfidious amongst themselves? Why do they litigate? Hatred, envy, lying, deceit, backbiting and defamation still pre­vail amongst his followers; besides they curse, swear, brawl, fight, war, destroy, rob and some of them are fornicators, perjur­ers, &c.; to say nothing about their dis­graceful upbraiding, profaning and defam­ing of all those who seek and fear the Lord. What sort of repentance and faith it is, of which he so loudly boasts, you may con­sider in the fear of God.

O, my kind reader, it never fails that where true faith is, there, also, is the right­eousness of faith; where there is unfeigned, christian love, there also is obedience to the holy word, and where there is true, sincere repentance there also is an unblamable life, according to the truth; this is incontro­vertible.

Is it not a false assertion to say that the giving of alms shows true repentance; sins we do not know whether it is done in sincerity of heart or in hypocrisy and vanity while he can plainly see that those who give alms generally are merely of the world and flesh, yea, without regeneration and repentance?

It would be well if he could take to hear what stands written: The alms (gifts) of the ungodly do not please the Most High; and sins are not remitted by much offering; he who offers of the possessions of the poor does, even as if he slaughtered the Son, in the sight of the Father. But to keep God's commandments, is a pleasing offer and to do according to the command, this is an of­fer which avails. "To depart from wicked­ness is a thing pleasing to the Lord; and to forsake unrighteousness is a propitiation." Again, "To obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken, than the fat of rams," Eccl. 35:3; 1 Sam. 15:22.

I would further say that it is my fixed opinion that the before mentioned alms, of which he boasts, are not the two mites or pennies of the widow's necessaries; but only a small crumb of their abundance, riches and wealth. This I frankly assert, and I have not the least doubt that if they would apply, to the support of the poor, their silk damask and the superabundance of clothes in which they go splendidly attired, the orna­ments of their houses, the golden and silver rosaries, the useless, costly ornaments, gold rings, chains, silvered and gilt swords, be­sides, the booty of the persecuted which may be found in the houses of some, then the poor would not, in the least, suffer from want.

O, my reader, yet by him, this must be called true repentance and a highly boast­ful work. If such boasting of outward works was heard from our side, how soon would we hear that we are work‑saints, and that we want to be saved by our own merits.

O, Lord! dear Lord!! thus the ignorant people are deceived and consoled in their impenitent, reckless life with their own works and merits. I think that such preachers may justly be called peace‑preachers, bolsterers and false daubers of the Spirit of the Lord, since they praise such a carnal people as penitent and happy according to the pro­phetic word, while they are still quite earth­ly and carnally‑minded; as their daily walk openly testifies before the whole world.

My faithful reader, observe the word of the Lord, and take heed; for it is not al­ways a true christian faith nor sincere re­pentance which the children of the world, who are prone to walk upon the broad way, sometimes teach and represent as true faith and sincere repentance. But this is true faith; which cordially accepts all the words of God, the threatening commands as well as the consoling gospel, and trusts in them as the sure and true word of God, &c. From such faith, which Paul calls a gift of God, springs the fear of God which drives out sin, and the true love which gladdens, en­livens and cheers the heart and leads it into the obedience of the word.

Where there is such a faith which brings forth a new, convened and changed mind; which makes us dead unto sin and leads us into a new life; changes us from Adam to Christ; puts off the old man with all his works and puts on the new man with his works and thus conforms all his thoughts, words and works to the Spirit, word and ways of the Lord, behold, there is true re­pentance to which the holy prophets, John the baptist, Christ Jesus, together with all the apostles and pious servants have so earnestly pointed us and so faithfully ad­monished us.

All those who would rightly preach this faith and this genuine repentance, and would thereby bring forth fruits, must themselves first, truly believe and sincerely repent; this is too obvious to be denied; and that Gel­lius and his like preachers do not yet, in power and truth, believe and sincerely re­pent, I will leave to be judged by their own writings and fruits, both here on earth and before the throne of God and Christ.

Gellius further writes, and says, If it were true that many of our audience turn the preaching of the holy gospel to lasciviousness, as in Jude 4, and that our preaching avails but little, although many pious, penitent hearts incontrovertibly prove the contrary, then the old lamentation of the prophet Isaiah were but verified, that says, Who hath believed our report, &c.? He also points to the saying of Christ, namely, If they have kept

my word they will also keep your word; with which he doubtlessly means to say, as the world has not kept my doctrine, therefore they will not keep your doctrine.

He also, refers to the four kinds of seed and four kinds of earth, Matt. 13:8, 19, 23.

Answer. God has never, from the begin­ning, preached repentance through the im­penitent. The mouth and wisdom of God say, "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles," Matt. 7:16.

Since, it is clear that Gellius and his like preachers remain so earthly and carnally-minded, and are driven by such an unmerci­ful, tyrannical and slandering spirit, which is, properly, the inborn spirit, nature and fruit of the old serpent; how, then, can they rightly preach the penitent, pious life and the fruitful, merciful, amiable spirit, nature and disposition of Christ, which they not only not acknowledge, but upbraid as hy­pocrisy and which they sincerely hate in all the pious?

In the second place, I say, that the preach­ing of peace and the making of cushions of the learned, as they do, will bring forth but few truly repentant persons. For although the world is so wicked and wild that we should reasonably be terrified at their very great wickedness, yet they are so comforted and consoled by their preachers, with their infant baptism, supper, alms and with the merits, grace, death and blood of the Lord, that they presume themselves to be the Lord's chosen holy church and people.

In the third place I would say, because he speaks doubtfully, saying, If it were true that many of his audience turn the preach­ing of the word to lasciviousness, and little fruit was brought forth by it, something which he however does not admit, &c., the reader should well mark how assidu­ously they defend the world and the church of anti‑christ, saying, If it were true, &c. Yet the whole German nation has degener­ated to such a wild and reckless freedom, by the preaching of their free gospel that if we reasonably admonish and reprove them for their open unchastity, carousing, pomp and splendor, cursing and swearing, lasciv­ious and foul words, we must immediately hear that we are conspirators, vagabonds, fanatics, heaven‑stormers, anabaptists and other indecent, disgraceful slanders.

But in regard to the complaint of Isaiah and the saying of Christ, If they have kept my saying, &c., John 15:20, with which he wishes to cover and adorn his unscriptural practices and doctrine of impenitence, I would ask him: If Christ and the apostles have received those who lived after the lusts of their flesh, such as drunkards, railers, extortioners, avaricious, fornicators, adul­terers, &c., as their disciples, so long as they had not sincerely repented?

If he answers in the affirmative, then he speaks contrary to all Scripture. For Paul says, That we shall not eat with such, if he does call himself a brother, 1 Cor. 6:11, and that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6:11. If he answers in the negative, then I would again ask, Why they receive them as disciples while they are not disciples of Christ, but are, according to his own words, of the world?

If he answers that they do not receive them, then I would ask him why they bap­tize their children before they let them par­take of the supper? And whether it would not be better if he would separate them, ac­cording to the Scriptures from the commun­ion of those whom he esteems pious? If he answers that he does not know of such, which he can by no means, truthfully say, then I would, lastly ask, if he does not know a tree by its fruits; if he cannot see a light that shines in darkness, as all true christian lights are called in the Scriptures, nor a city which is built upon a high mount­ain? Matt. 6:14.

Since Gellius and all the preachers, receive and suffer such impenitent persons, whom he himself calls of the world, as heard, in the communion of their churches, against the practice of Christ and of the apostles, therefore they must thereby acknowledge that Christ's church is of the world or the world of Christ's church; that they, contrary to the apostolic doctrine, ordinance and ex­ample, dispense the sacraments also to the world, which according to the Scriptures properly belong to the penitent alone; who have placed themselves in the church of the Lord, in obedience to the word; that they, thereby, include the penitent (if such there be) in the communion of the impenitent; and that they are open flatterers and enemies of the cross of Christ, Phil. 3:18, who act hypocritically with the higher class and flatter the world, lest they lose their favors; and thus openly and faithlessly transgress the Lord's word and ordinance, for the sake of their bellies and reject it as powerless and discouraging.

Again, as to his reference to the Lord's parable, I would say, That I would have him take a better view of it and not console himself herewith; for it has reference to the true preachers and disciples who have been put to the trial of the cross of Christ, in obedience to the word, and not to the cross-fleeing preachers and the world, as may be learned not alone from the Scriptures but also from experience.

For some reject the received and manifest truth, and the sown seed is devoured of the fowls of the air and does not bring forth fruit. Some are withered by the scorching sun of the cross, oppression and misery, which proves them wood, hay and stubble, 1 Cor. 3:12.

Others are smothered by the cares of this world, and by deceitful riches and the lusts of the flesh, so that the received knowledge dies in them, and the lusts and love of this world prevail, which in our times, as well as in the times of the primitive church, is too often the case with those who, with Demas, alas, again grasp the love of the world.

But the last receive it in a sincere, pious heart, and meekly bring forth fruit with patience; although they are much tempted by all kinds of trials, anxiety, oppression and deadly perils, yet they are, by the gra­cious help of God, so armed with a true faith, love, hope, and patience or long‑suf­fering; are so confirmed in God, that nei­ther the fire of tribulation can consume them (for they are gold, silver and precious stones), nor sword and pain can frighten or deter them from the ways of the Lord, Rom. 8:38.

That the beforementioned parable has re­ference to such christians and not to the world and its preachers, is too clear to be controverted or denied. And Gellius and his like preachers of the world remain de­fenders of unrighteousness, comforters of the impenitent and servants of the kingdom of anti‑christ, who not only pitifully deceive their own souls but also those of their church, and support and defend them in their gross abominations and impenitent carnal lives, by their perversion of Scriptures and use­less consolations, to their eternal destruc­tion.

In the fifth place it should be observed, what the preachers' desire and seeking should be. The Scriptures teach that Moses and Jeremiah, Exod. 4:10, reluctantly ac­cepted of the service when they, Jer. 1:6, were called and sent of God, as Jeremiah laments when the cross bore heavily upon him, Exod. 4:10; Jer. 1:6; Jer. 20:8.

All that the prophets, apostles and faith­ful servants of God ever sought and desired was nothing else than that they might pro­claim the name of their God and might point their neighbors to the way of peace. They did not seek money, gold, honor and an easy life, but they executed their office to which they were appointed, and which was, alas, not weighed by the heedless peo­ple, under many sore trials, miseries, anxi­eties, tribulations, beatings, poverty, op­pression and tortures, and at the risk of life even, as sacred and profane histories, in many instances, teach. But why the preachers of the world have hitherto refused and yet refuse the service, and what they seek thereby, experience and the Holy Spirit plainly teach us, saying, that they promise death to the pious and life to the wicked, for the sake of a hand‑ful of barley or a piece of bread; that they seek the fat and the wool, milk and flesh; that they eat but do not feed the Lord's sheep, Ezekiel 34:3; that they preach peace for their bellies' sake (that is, if well paid), and war if not well fed, &c.