Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/118

106 upon her; and happy is every one that re- taineth her.

Yes, beloved brothers, every one who is thus rightly taught of God, in this wisdom (for she is the wisdom of the saints), may glorj', by the gTace given him, over all grad- uated doctors, theologists, jm-ists, orators and poets, although he could neither write nor speak, and were he the most helpless upon earth. But all those who are not in- structed in this wisdom from God, though they were as glorious as Solomon, as vic- torious as Alexander, as rich as Croesus, as strong as Hercules, as learned as Plato, as subtle as Aristotle, as eloquent as Demos- thenes and Cicero, and as well skilled in languages as Mitliridates ; yea, so great- ly experienced that his like were not to be found from the beginning, nevertheless, he is a fool in the ej'es 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 broth- ers 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 de- sire to live according to the will of the Lord; those souls which he created to his honor, and pui'chased with the l)lood of his Son, that they may learn to know God through his Son and word, in spirit, who says, "Let not the wise man glor,y in his wisdom, nei- ther let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches ; but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindness, .judgment and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord," Jer. 9:23, 24.

O, dear children, vou Avho are born of the word of the Lord through the Spirit, reflect rightly upon these tilings in your hearts, how incomprehensibly great the heavenly Imunty and grace are, which have appeared to us, throixgh Clirist, and have been given us of the Father, that he has so gracioiasly bestowed upon us, gi-ievous sinners, in our most abominable blindness, the glorious and divine gift of his wisdom ; yea, when we knew neither God nor Christ, were stran- gers to the life that is out of God, children of wrath and of eternal death, knew not the word of peace, and strayed like sheep who knew no shepherd; that he has so gracious- ly bestowed upon us this great treasure, the true knowledge of the kingdom of God; the treasure which lies buried in the field he discovered to 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 any thing ; that he has opened to us with the ]s.ej of his word and Spirit, the saving truth, and has closed it to all em- perors, kings, lords, princes, the wise and the learned, before the whole world ; that he redeemed us from the power of darkness, I and, according to his will and good pleas- I ure, led us into the kingdom of his dear Son; yea, that he has made us kings and priests, that we are to be a chosen and holy people ; a jieople 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 lisht, 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 Clirist, who has all power in heaven and on earth, that he has manifested such grace towards you, that he has called you, poor, unesteemed chil- dren, to such high honor, you who are the reproach and disgrace of the whole world, that he has made you kings and priests ; Kings, I say, who have been anointed with I the oil of grace, through the Holy Ghost, crowned with the crown of honor, clothed with the garment of righteousness, and gov- erned by Clirist, your King; not with the weapons of death, such as fire-arms, spears, swords, horses, riders and servants, as the kings of this world do, but with the invinci- ble and eternal sceptre of the power of God, namely, with the sharp-edged sword of the holy word, which v/ill victoriously triumph by virtue of 3^our unconquerable faith, over I tiesli, blood, banners, banishment, swords, I stakes, water, fire, liunger, thirst, naked-
 * gold, silver, cities, countries, lords, princes,