Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/537

Rh Besides, they prophesied famine, pestilence, failures, drought, war, conflagration, robbery, imprisonment, and destruction, as plagues on account of their sins and disobedience. And also concerning the divine grace, salvation, deliverance, peace, mercy, and the eternal glory, which in the latter days will so gloriously appear unto all the world through Christ Jesus our Lord, who is the only promised prophet, Deut. 18: 15. The truly anointed of the Lord; the spiritual King David, Ezek. 37: 24; who establishes his kingdom by right and righteousness, Isa. 9: 7; the true Shepherd who leads us into the pastures of eternal life, Ezek. 34: 14; whose name is Emmanuel, that is, God with us, Isa. 7: 14; Matt. 1: 23; and the Lord who makes us righteous, who shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, Luke 1: 33; and this was the peculiar work of the holy prophets who were graciously sent of God the Lord, to the carnal Israel. But what did it avail, dear reader? They preached both mildly and harshly, punishment and grace, judgment and mercy; yet it was all in vain, as God plainly proclaimed by these same prophets, saying, "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts," Isa. 65: 2.

Again, "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying," "Obey my voice. Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil hearts; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do; but they did them not," Jer. 11: 6, 7, 8. Again, "O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom and Israel is defiled; they will not frame their doings to turn unto their God; for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord," Hosea 5. Again, at another place, "The Lord has testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments, and my statutes, according to all the law, which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants, the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God," 2 Kings 17: 13, 14. Again, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother, in your heart; but they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts," Zech. 7: 9–12.

Yea, most beloved reader, they have so stopped their ears and so hardened their hearts that they would not only not hear, but all of them, as a general rule, and particularly most of the kings, princes, prophets and priests, wittingly thirsted after the innocent blood of the true witnesses of God, who, by an inextinguishable fire of love fraternally reproved them of their sins, called them to repent and turn to God, and they proclaimed and taught the way of the Lord in righteousness.

Thus the mad, blind world has thanked and rewarded the faithful servants of God, the true prophets and true teachers of the divine truth, who sincerely seek their salvation, by upbraiding, imprisoning, beating, banishing, and slaying them. For the obdurate, ignorant, whoring, refractory people will not be reproved as may be read in the fourth chapter of Hosea, and of the men of Anathoth to Jeremiah, saying, "Prophesy not in the name of the Lord that thou die not by our hand," Jer. 11: 21; and "As for the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee," Jer. 44: 18.

The selfish and lustful teachers will not suffer themselves to be reproved or admonished; they boast of their wisdom, and say, "We are supported by the Holy Scriptures: although all that the scribes say and teach is falsehood."

Above all, the proud, carnal, worldy, idolatrous and tyrannical princes, who do