Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/370

70 not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother," 2 Thess. 3: 14, 15.

Behold, reader, here you have it briefly stated of whom, how, and to what purpose, the ban or separation is ordained in the house and church of the Lord. Judge, now, if you fear God, if it is not an especially noble and necessary institution of pure love, which is ordained of the God of love to a service of love, although the unenlightened and refractory judge and consider it as enmity. For its ultimate design and fruit is, that the church may remain sound in doctrine, and unblamable in life; and that the erring, either in doctrine or life, may be converted, and again return to the pasture and flock of the Lord. But how far, yea, how very far, are all the preachers and churches of the world from this God-pleasing ordinance and very necessary practice.

Answer. If we diligently search the writings of the historians and compare the actions of the church, to which they refer, with the Scriptures, then, I think, that we surely find that there was not among all the German nations, a true, apostolic, Christian church which stood right in doctrine, sacraments, ordinances, and life; but that they were all founded upon the papistic foundation and abominations, and remained so, these many years.

Since, then, the church is not founded by the apostles upon the foundation of Christ, but is founded of the Pope, upon his own foundation, and is in every respect a papistical, and not a Christian church, and since it is palpable that it has at this hour, neither teachers, communion, life, nor sacraments conformable to the ordinance, doctrine, and example of Christ, therefore he can not practice the ban until he separates himself, because he is an adulterer of the Scriptures and deceiver of souls, and then all the church, because they are generally impenitent in life and outside of the command, ordinance and word of Christ in doctrine, as may be plainly noticed. Cogita quae dico, Qui male facit, non videt Deum, 3 John 11. Remember that it is spoken, "He that doeth evil hath not seen God."

Answer. In my opinion it is high time that the preachers would quit their trifling with the souls of men; that they would unreservedly acknowledge that they are not the church of the Lord, but a poor, erring and worldly flock; and then would earnestly commence to learn to know themselves and next, to preach rightly the word of sincere repentance, in the power of the Spirit. All those who would accept it in sincerity of heart and truly repent, should serve the sacraments of the Lord, according to the ordinance of God, and those who would stubbornly reject it, should, by virtue of the holy word, be excommunicated, without respect of persons; then they might gather a church unto Christ, and rightly practice the ordinance of the Lord, according to the Scriptures.

But so long as they baptize unconscious children, esteem all those who are baptized as Christians, dispense the bread to the impenitent, and admit all the avaricious, extortionate, pompous, drinking, and carousing, in the communion of their churches, the world will be their church, and their church the world. In such a state of affairs they may preach and admonish all their life-time about separation, and the true church ordinances, but never establish them, since it is evident that all their doctrines and sacraments are nothing but a vapor, vain and powerless, for they are not the rightly called preachers, their sacraments are not the true sacraments and their disciples are not the Lord's church and people.

Say, beloved, how shall a house be built without workmen, timber, iron, stone and mortar? Qui sanicordis est, cogitet quae dico. He who is of sound mind, may ponder on what I say.

I would further say, that if Gellius