Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/368

68 hate and persecute it? If I do not write the truth, reprove me.

In the fourth place I would say, Gellius accuses us that we forsake the church of Christ. But I say that we, according to the teaching of the word and ordinance of God, and to the example of the holy apostles, forsake the world and their false prophets, and that we, through the Spirit and grace of God, rid the church of Christ from snares, faithfully admonish her members, and in our weakness, establish and edify them, according to the command of the holy word, Isaiah 52: 11; 2 Cor. 6: 17; Acts 2: 40; Rev. 18: 4. What shall this poor man say and boast of the church of Christ, while she is yet quite unknown to him? I voluntarily make this offer: If they allow me a discourse with them under safe conduct, either privately before witnesses, or publicly, before a full assembly, and if I cannot prove or maintain, by the power of the truth that the preachers, in general, are deceivers and not pastors, and that their pompous, avaricious, extortionate, swearing, and cursing disciples, are of the world and are not Christians, then I will publicly acknowledge before all the world, that we not only have forsaken the church of Christ, but also lamentably destroy her and cause many a pious heart much misery, affliction and trouble, in vain.

But, as we can substantiate these assertions by the power of the truth, why, then, must we yet hear so many evil words? It were, indeed, high time that the preachers would quit their deceiving, that they and their disciples, who, where and what they be, would awaken, that they would tremble at the wrath and punishment of God, would repent, conform themselves to the Spirit, word and example of the Lord, and establish a true christian church, in accordance to the command of the Scriptures, and that they disclaimed and abjured their borrowed names and false boastings, as evangelical teachers, faithful shepherds, soul-savers, and preachers of the holy word, which they, to the dishonor of God, merely claim in appearance.

Behold, reader, I write to you the truth and lie not. I seek nothing, before my God, but that I may gain Gellius and all the preachers, wherever they may be, to Christ, by the Spirit and word of God; or that I may be vanquished of them and stand abashed before all the world, as an open deceiver. If they, now, be of Christian disposition, and preachers of the holy word who are desirous of unity, as they pretend to be, then let them agree to what I desire they should, namely, a free discussion of the grounds and doctrines of both sides; that thereby the pure, saving truth of Christ may be maintained, and the impure, damnable falsehood of anti-Christ be destroyed.

But in case they refuse this, as they have before twice refused me, and continue their infamous defamation and upbraiding as they have ever done before, and accuse us with all manner of accusations before the common people, that we forsake the church of Christ; that we are a misled, deceived people, and that we pervert good into evil; what else can we then do but leave them to the Lord and his judgment; and willingly submit to the cross, as we have done, possess our souls in patience, admonish those of unperverted heart, as much as possible, minutely consider what kind of preachers and pastors they have, what great injustice they do us, poor miserable ones; how scornfully they reject truth, and maintain falsehood, since we, in all humility and true love, invite them to this free, christian discussion of the Scriptures, to the praise of Almighty God, and his eternal truth, and to the beneficial refreshment of all the oppressed and afflicted souls. But they refuse us this, and besides, slander and defame us by their infamous publications without discretion, and without all foundation and truth, and thus, disgracefully accuse its before the whole world, and cause many pious, innocent children to be deprived of their possessions, honor and lives, even, as may, alas, be witnessed in many different localities of the Netherlands.