Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/716

416 416 AN EPISTLE TO MARTIN MICRON. Christ, from everlasting, was born of the Father; that he was, also, from everlasting, seated, divided, and separated from the Father. Now you have changed yourself, and you write, that he remained in the Fa- ther. Mark your hrst change. Secondly, you confessed two Sons in Christ; and now you say there is but one; yet, in fact two, if we impartially consider your doctrine. Thirdly, you confessed that the cruciiied Christ who died for us, was not Grod's Son; and now you write that you frequently con- fessed that he was. Mark your second, and third changes; and yet you write that he had no Father. Whether this is, Sim- plex ven'tates oratio, the word of trutli is plain, as you write, I will leave yourself to consider. It must be admitted that if one can not see lightminded unsteadiness and false duplicity in this, he must be quite un- intelligent and blind. Fourthly, you confessed, "That Christ should not be worshipped according to his human nature;" and now you say, "That he should be." Mark your fourth change; yet you confess that he was an earthly man, of earth, who was born of Adam's seed. If this be not idolatry we may truly say that the Scriptures deceive us. Whether so many confessions and re- callings are consistent with a sincere, pious, constant, and wellfounded teacher and writer (as you want to be), who, out of am- bition falsely denies it all, I will herewith leave all impartial readers to judge. Fifthly, you have made yourself, before all intelligent persons, a very proud, self- conceited, bold and ambitious boaster, be- cause you sing such great triumphs and glory in your book, while it is manifest to God, to yourself and to all who were pres- ent that you had already lost the whole point in discussion. It would also be man- ifest to the whole world, if you had but im- partially told it as it happened; for you confessed two Sons in Christ, and that the cruciiied one was not God's Sop, as you, in fact, do yet; whereby j^ou had ilready fin- ished the discussion. You could not an- swer a word to all the Scriptures I read, whereby I testified unto you, that the Son of man, the visible, palpable, eating, drink- ing, suffering, dying, and arisen Christ, was al"so God's own, true Son, nor could you reply a word to my four convincing an- swers, with which I overcame your unscript- ural question concerning the biith fiom everlasting, separation, &c., all of which you have left out of your "Narration." Neither did you say an3-thing about the union of the two sons, which you generally called two natures, in our discussion, which is now your strongest Scripture, although, in fact, it is not found in the whole Bible. For if you had made mention of it at the time of the discussion, you would, by the assistance of the Lord, have received an answer. And, besides, having told such abominable falsehoods, you have changed the order of the discussion, garbled my words, misinterpreted them, abbreviated or added to them, at pleasure, and changed yoxrr own, whereby it is manifest before God and man that your discussion with us, and particularly the account thereof, was not- prompted by an humble, convert- ed, and contrite heart; not by the Spirit and love of Christ, but by an ambitious, self-conceited, proud, obdurate flesh and mind. I will leave it to the all-knowing God, and to yourself (to whom are best known your seeking) as also, to the pious reader, who walks in the truth, whether this is not the truth. O, friend, teach your- self before yoir undertake to teach others. Behold yourself, inwardly and outwardly, in the clear mirror of Clirist and his holy word, that you may realize what an igno- rant teacher and unfit christian you are be- fore God. Sixthly, you have also made of yourself a false prophet and teacher, a deceiver of men, an apparent hypocrite and ravening wolf in sheep's clothing. Do not take it amiss that I call you such, and tell the truth. For how can you teach a more false doctrine than to teach that God the Father, is not the true Father of the whole Christ; and that the whole Christ is not the true Son of God; to make the angel of God, John the Baptist and all the apostles of God, false witnesses; to make Christ, the eternal truth, a false teacher; for he says, that we shall not swear at all, Matt. 5: 34, and you say that we are allowed to swear