Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/322

22 calves of Dan and Bethel (understand what I mean); to keep the church of anti-Christ, without penance and regeneration in unity and peace of the flesh, on the perverted and crooked road of darkness and death, under the name and semblance of the word, contrary to the Spirit, doctrine, and example of Christ; to console the wilful, reckless world, who wish to be called the church of Christ, without regeneration and obedience, in their impenitent and ungodly nature, with the death, blood, baptism, and Supper of the Lord; to violently oppose Christ Jesus and his word and Spirit, so that the world may live on in their original state and unrighteousness unrebuked; that the preachers may continue in their improper gain and careless life; and that the ignorant people, both rich and poor, may live on in the lusts of their flesh, pomp, splendor, drinking, carousing, in avariciousness, and hoarding, in short, may continue in the broad and easy way of the flesh, unreproved.

This is made too manifest to be denied, by deeds which speak for themselves; yet their cause is artfully adorned with the Scriptures; they talk much; boast loudly of the grace and favor of God; they use baptism and supper under the appearanceappearace [sic] of truth, as if they were the church of Jesus Christ; although, in fact, they are nothing but a selfish, refractory, impenitent, earthly and sensual people, as is obvious by their fruits. If I do not write the truth, reprove me.

Since, then, it is clearer than day-light that they are not called to uphold the church of Christ, which is of God and a divine nature, with salutary doctrines. Scriptural sacraments, an unblamable life; earnest reproving, without favor or respect of persons; with faithful admonition and separation, if necessary; but are, under false pretenses of the name and church of Christ; they are servants of the world; receive their reward from it; honor and love it; speak of it, and please it, and whom it seeks and loves to hear, for they are of the world, as John says, 1 John 4: 5.

Therefore it is, in the third place, an incontrovertible evidence, that they, alas, are no called servants of the church of Christ, as they falsely pretend, but are the servants and supporters of the kingdom of anti-Christ, as may be unmistakingly learned from their doctrine, walk and fruits if we closely examine them.

In the fourth place we should observe what kind of fruits they bring forth, for Christ says, "I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain," John 15: 16. We confess with holy Isaiah, as does also Gellius, that the doctrine of the holy gospel, if preached in the power of the Spirit, according to the Spirit of Christ, cannot fail to bring forth fruit. "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud," so, also, is the word that goeth forth out of the mouth of the Lord, Isaiah 55: 10.

But Gellius and we should well consider that the sowers should, by the power of true faith and the co-operation of the Holy Spirit, be changed into the Spirit and nature of Christ, and should then teach or present to the people the pure, unadulterated seed, which is the word, without all abuse, leaven and hypocrisy, for where there are such sowers, there it will bud and bring forth. The word of the prophet, which the mouth of the Lord has spoken is true and firm. But where there are not such sowers there they arise too early or start out too late; labor and pains will be in vain; for God works not unto repentance but through those who are of his Spirit.

Inasmuch, then, that the word with true preaching does not remain fruitless as we have seen, and since we clearly see that the seed of the preachers of the world brings forth no fruit unto repentance, but alone hypocrisy, therefore it is an indisputable fact that they have not the word of the Lord in power; but that they are artful workers and not true preachers, or else the word of the prophet must be false, which says, "If they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings," Jer. 23: 22.

Since then, that preachers are known by their fruits, and that Gellius and his like