Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/367

Rh time, depart from evil, walk in truth and be eternally saved.

If you are of reasonable minds, then consider well what we hereby seek, and think not that we are so thoroughly deprived of reason that we walk this narrow way, through contentiousness and partizanism. O, how gladly would we save our weak bodies, our wives and small children, our possessions and lives, and live peaceably with the world, if we were not constrained by the love of God, and the eternal salvation of your souls and our own. But, as it is, we should, for the two mentioned reasons, sacrifice all to robbery, and, if the case require, to death, in sincere, genuine love. For, as a general thing, truth is maintained dearly; and sincere, faithful love crowned with a crown of thorns. O, Lord!

Answer. To this I would reply in the first place: The unrighteousness which shuts us out from the kingdom, church, body, and Supper of Christ, is not merely included in enmity, contention, and discord, but also in all other kinds of works of the flesh, such as, pomp, splendor, avariciousness, drinking, and carousing.

Although enmity and discord are, by the use of their supper, partially appeased among some of them, as he writes, yet all the other abominable sins and unrighteousness remain untouched as may be very plainly and publicly seen by their fruits. The heathens, too, conclude peace among themselves, when they are at variance with each other, yet they are not the right grains of the Lord's bread, and the true members of his body. Let every one of sound mind reflect upon what I say.

In the second place I say, He can not with truth substantiate his accusation against us, that enmity, contention and discord exist among us.

But as he and his fellows berate our Christian doctrine and faith, our sacraments and actions before the whole world, cause much trouble and affliction; and we, by the grace of God, do not treat them inimically, but patiently bear with them, teach, reprove, and admonish them; maintain truth with truth; and in sincerity of heart, show and point out to them the right way, at the risk of blood and life, for which they so hate us, so also, some raise up among us, as was the case in the times of the apostles, who would rather follow their own opinion than the Scriptures; who again return to the broad road, seek honor and a name, and therefore make unscriptural pretensions. With such we entreat and reason, admonish and reprove them, as the Scriptures teach us, and I trust we do this reasonably and in love. If they suffer themselves to be taught, change their ways and strive after peace, then we thank the Lord for his blessing. But in case they despise fraternal admonition, remain obdurate in their ways, and cause contention and discord, then they cannot be our fellows and brethren, until they acknowledge their faults, and return to the Lord's people in peace, 1 Tim. 6: 5; 2 Tim. 2: 17; Tit. 3: 11. If this should be called causing contention, enmity, and discord about the articles of faith, or whether it should be called purification of the house of the Lord, all the right-minded may judge, both by their common sense and the Scriptures.

In the third place I say, the reason why we do not hear their doctrine, and do not see their partaking of the supper, as he complains, is, because we have for a long time witnessed by their fruits, that their doctrine is vain and powerless, and their sacraments are not according to the word. For of what spirit both their preachers and disciples are, may, firstly, be educed from the dishonest, infamous, bitter, false, spiteful, and incentive writings of the preachers, and, secondly, from the abominable show of clothes, the extravagance about their houses, and from the superfluous, carnal life of the best of their disciples. What does their fine appearance, their ornamental logic avail, while they, in fact, forsake the Scriptures and the signification, fruit, and power of the holy sacraments, nay,