Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/400

100 should leave his father's house, and remove to a land which the Lord would show him. Abraham believed in the Lord, and departed as the Lord had commanded him, Gen. 12: 4–6.

Again, the Lord commanded him that he should offer Isaac, whom he loved, his only-begotten of the free woman, as a burnt offering. Abraham believed in God; he was obedient, and prepared to do whatever God commanded, Gen. 22; Rom. 8: 32.

In the same manner he was commanded to circumcise himself, his son Ishmael (Isaac was not yet born) and every man child of his household, and all the males after him, at the eighth day after their birth. Abraham believed in God, and did as the Lord commanded him.

Behold, thus Abraham believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness, Gen. 15: 6; Rom. 4: 3. In the same manner God has spoken unto us in the New Testament, not only by angels and prophets, as he did unto Abraham and the patriarchs, but also by his Son, which Son has thus commanded, namely, That the gospel should be preached to all the world; to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews; and whosoever believes it should be baptized, Mark 16; even as it was commanded Abraham to circumcise all males. Gen. 17: 10–13.

This command we have received from the mouth of Christ, therefore we believe in it, even as Abraham believed in his time. We believe it, I say, and do accordingly; we teach those of understanding minds, and baptize those that believe, not in disobedience, as Gellius says, but in obedience to the clear, plain, and express ordinance and command of Christ, God's own Son.

Dear reader, observe. The Lord, Christ, thanked his Father, and said, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent," John 17: 3. At another place he says, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." Mark, he says, "If ye continue," John 8: 31. And, while the merciful and affectionate Father, through his great kindness, has discovered unto us the glorious knowledge, and the wonderful, deep mystery of his beloved Son, and, besides has given us such a fruit through his Spirit, that we dare not willfully and knowingly deviate one hair's breadth from his holy word, ordinance, and command, as is testified and shown by our tribulation, misery and deprivation, to the whole world, yet, alas, according to the judgment of Gellius, and of the learned, we are not the believing church, nor the disciples of Christ, as may be seen by their writings.

Behold, thus the righteous judgment of the Almighty and great God is passed upon the wise and learned of this world, that the clear and plain signs, by which the true disciples and church of Christ may, and must be known, are esteemed an abomination and error—that they who have received light from above, through grace, are not accounted Christians, by them as has been related.

Answer. We point to Christ Jesus our only and eternal Prophet and Messiah, sent of the Father, who is the only true Cornerstone in Zion, the true Teacher, Law-giver, Commander, Intercessor, and Head of his church, together with all his angels, apostles, and prophets, through whom he, in former times, spoke, and also his Spirit, word, ordinances, commands, prohibitions, usage, and example—and if Gellius, or any other person under the canopy of heaven, be he learned or not, can convince us by divine truth that we teach or maintain any thing contrary to his word and ordinances, then I, for myself, sincerely desire to correct the wrong, and to follow that which is right. This he knows who has purchased me; for I want to be saved. But if they can not do this by the truth, but only in appearance of truth, and thus blaspheme it, as all the perverse do, and have to leave our testimony unbroken, then it is sufficiently proven that our hated, despised, and small church is the true, prophetic, apostolic, and Christian church, which was begun with the first righteous who walked