Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/543

Rh of souls whom Christ Jesus has so dearly bought and ransomed by his precious blood, for outside of the obedience to the divine word there is no salvation, therefore I cannot be silent; for the honor and praise of my Lord and God are at stake, and it avails the salvation of a poor, erring brother—although, perchance, it may be at the risk of my life.

Who knows but that God, through me and through my beloved brethren who are and who shall be, has chosen and provided in his grace, that some of those who now unwittingly err, may yet acknowledge and confess the right way, doctrine, truth, and life, and walk unblamably in Christ, before God and before all the world all the days of their lives. O, Lord, that it might be so, Amen.

Behold, most beloved reader, inasmuch as the Babylonian king, namely, the anti-Christ, has, through his servants, that is, through the false prophets and teachers, demolished the disobedient Jerusalem, the temple of the Lord, and has thus imprisoned Israel these many years—therefore I and my brethren in the Lord desire nothing but that we may, to the honor of God, so labor at his fallen city, temple, and imprisoned people, according to the talent received of him, that we may rebuild that which is demolished, repair that which is damaged, and free those who are imprisoned, with the word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the same as it was before the fall, that is, in freedom of the Spirit, on the doctrines, sacraments, ceremonies, love, and life of Jesus Christ and of his holy apostles.

For this reason I am not ashamed to write down, publish, and loudly proclaim my faith, doctrine, seeking, and desire, before all mankind who will hear, no matter who they are. Yea, I doubt not but if those could see my inmost heart who now assiduously seek my life, they would change their hatred against me and my brethren, into love for us.

In the first place we desire, according to the word of God, that no bishop, pastor, or teacher shall be admitted into the church of the Lord, to teach and administer the sacraments of the Lord, other than those who are comprised in the doctrine, ordinance, and life of our Lord Jesus Christ unblamable in all things, 1 Tim. 3: 2; Tit. 1: 6; Lev. 21: 7; Ezek. 44: 21; for the word of the Lord is truth, Jn. 17: 17; it is Spirit and life, Jn. 6: 63; therefore they can not be administered by the carnal minded; by no children of death, nor by liars; but by the truthful, by the spiritual minded, and by those who rightly confess Christ Jesus; who surely feel the life eternal in their hearts, and who live unblamably before God and walk in Christ Jesus, so that they may truthfully say with Paul, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ," 1 Cor. 11: 1.

In the second place we desire with ardent hearts, even at the cost of life and blood, that the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and his apostles, which alone is the true doctrine, and will remain so until Jesus Christ will reappear in the clouds, may be taught and preached through all the world, as the Lord Jesus Christ commanded his disciples at the last moments while he was on earth, Matt. 28: 19; Mark 16: 15.

In the third place we seek, teach, and desire a true faith and Christian life conformable to the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his apostles; for the doctrine of the preachers is all vain and useless if the word which is preached is not accepted by faith, Heb. 4: 2; and faith is vain, and dead before God when it does not work by love, Jas. 2: 20.

In the fourth place, we teach, seek, and desire a right, Christian baptism; first, with Spirit and fire, Luke 3: 16; afterward in the water, in obedience to faith; for thus has Christ Jesus commanded all the believing; and thus the holy apostles have taught and administered it, Matt. 28: 19; Mark 16: 15; Acts 2: 38; 9: 5; 16: 31; 10: 47.

In the fifth place, we teach, seek, and desire such a Supper as Christ Jesus himself has instituted and administered, Matt. 26: 19; Mark 14: 22; Luke 22: 19; first, to a church which is outwardly without spot and blemish, that is, without any considerable transgression and wickedness; for the church can only judge as to the visible; but what is inwardly wicked and not outwardly apparent to the church, as the betraying of Judas, of that God is to judge,