Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/711

411 AN EPISTLE TO MARTm MICRON. 411 truth and faithfully walk and seal it with yea and nay, with their possessions and blood, and thus load the innocent blood upon yourselves. Rev. 17: 3. John saw the finely attired whore upon the scarlet colored beast, drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And whether or not you, in your heart, have drank or do drink such a draught of blood with her, I will leave to the omniscient Judge, and to yourself. Dear Micron, reflect, and see if I do not rightly point out your sores. As you did not fear, but diligently ex- erted yourself, to adulterate, obscure, and break the Lord's express word, for the pur- pose of pleasing the magistracy; thus you, also have, alas, exerted yourself to garble my words, as if I had cited the words of David (who does not delight in false doc- trine neither has sworn deceitfully, Ps. 24: 4), in my article concerning sioearing, for the purpose of proving that under the New Testament we should not swear; while I adduced these words for no other purpose, as my words plainly imply, than to show that but little attention was alas, given to the pietj^ implied in the words of said psalm, as is plainly shown by your false, defaming tongue and hand, toward me, poor man, who, alas, has or finds but little consolation from the children of men. Besides, I had written a note in the mar- gin of the page, in plain words, that it was spoken by David in a spiritual sense; and that under the New Testament we were to use yea and nay, instead. You have spared nothing to make me ridiculous and obnoxious to the reader. In the same manner, you have not avoid- ed to call me inconsistent, because I wrote that we should not swear at all in regard to temporal matters, because Christ did not use the word verily, in worldly matters, but merely in his doctrine, &c. I know of noth- ing that I wrote which you did not wrongly explain and garble. I wish that you would once consider, in the fear of God, what kind of a spirit it is that thus taught you. My saying that one should not swear at all iu worldly dealings, was taught me, not by the flattery of the old serpent, but by the word of the Lord, Matt. 5: 37; Jas. 5: 12. But that I made an exception in regard to the doctrine, I did it to aid the reader, for the purpose of showing that Paul and Christ did not make use of the terms. Verily, and, God is my witness (which the learned would construe into an oath for the purpose of making a foundation for their doings), in treating of temporal matters, but in their teachings ^nly. If this matter is to be strictly weighed in the balance of the holy, divine word, in such a manner as to keep unanimity be- tween all the Scriptures, tlien it should be ob- served that the oath and some affirmations are not of the same form, in tlie Scriptures. For it is manifest, that an oath was always sworn by God, or by something else, and is so sworn yet, which is not the case with an affirmation, as Paul and Christ used in their teaching. Abraham said unto his servant, "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh; and I will make thee swear (mark) by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth," Gen. 24: 2. Again: "By the life of Pharaoh (mark) ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither," Gen. 42: 15. Again: "Thou shall fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name "(mark), Dent. 10: 20. Again, Christ says. Neither by heaven, nor by earth, neither by Jerusalem, neither by thy head. Matt. 5: 34, nor by the tem- ple, nor by the altar, Matt. 23: 16, 18. Read also Jas. 5: 12. Again, neither with the world, nor by God, nor by the gospel, nor by a cross, &c. Behold, thus an oath is always sworn by something. But this is not the case with an affirmation which is made without an oath. An affirmation may be made without an oath; but an oath cannot be made without an affirmation. And thus Christ and Paul often affirmed their words with strong tes- timony, but did not swear to them. For nowhere did they say, " This we swear or affirm by the truth," or, "By God," or, " By our soul, but solel}^, verily, or, God is my witness, and other like affirming words. As I thus humbly, plainly and strictly abide by the holy word, commandments,