Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/717

417 AN EPISTLE TO MARTIN MICRON. 417 to the truth; to make the baptism, which was commanded by Christ, and taught and practiced by his holy apostles, a false bap- tism; and to want to teach a different doc- trine and practice, of which not a word is found in all the Scriptures. Dear Micron, if j'ou would follow good counsel, 3'ou would at once Quit your writ- ing. For make it as you will, it is certain that you by your strongest arguments and best points do nothing, in fact, but super- sede and teach the eternal wisdom, Christ Jesus, the Son of Grod, and his Holy Ghost, together with the apostles of Christ; noth- ing but change their words, doctrine, com- mandments, institutions, ordinances and practices, as if they in themselves were not essential and right, yea, powerless, vain, and useless, and thereby show that you are their teacher and master. Beloved Micron, take heed. The more you write the more manifest you make your own shame and false doctrine, and the greater you make the guilt of your deceit. My friend, let yourself be warned. You console the poor, blind people with falsehood, deprive them of both Father and Son, 1 Jn. 2: 22, lamentably adulterate the word of the Lord; from which it is very plain, that you forsake the Lord who has purchased us, 3 Pet. 2 : 1, that j^ou are prompted by the Spirit of anti-christ, 1 Jn. 4: 3; that it is anathema. Gal. 1: 8. You teach us a gospel which was not taught us by the apostles of Christ. It shows that you rob God of his honor, and are a mur- derer of souls, Jn. 10: 1, which Christ Jesus has purchased at such a great price, 1 Pet. 1:8, a messenger of darkness who trans- forms himself into an angel of light, 2 Cor. 11: 14. Do not take it amiss, that I write the truth. I repeat, a ravening wolf in sheep's clothing. Matt. 7: 15, who devours the souls of men by a false explanation of theScript- irre, under a fictitious semblance of truth, robs them of the truth, and thus offers and sacrifices them to the prince of hell, for the sake of a woolen rag and. a piece of bread. Not to mention that you cause so much trouble to many a chosen saint of God, de- prive him of possession, and even of life, by your false doctrine, because you falsely 89 charge, slander, defame, and trample under foot the doctrine, which is the clear, pure, unadulterated, powerful, saving and re- generating doctrine of Christ, as being her- esy and deceit, and the faithful children which are thereby converted from unright- eousness unto righteousness, and from the dumb idols unto the living God, as being deceitful, sectarian people, before the erring, blind, and carnal world of blasphemers blood-preachers, messengers of the devil, blood-thirsty tyrants and covetous robbers. O, Micron, friend, how good it would be for your poor soul (if you do not sincerely repent) if you had never been born. What have you, miserable man, suffered your ambitious, proud, evil flesh to do, that you, for the sake of a little breeze of vain honor, which you can enjoy but a short time in this confused evil world, have committed such abominable blasphemj^ against the Almighty, eternal, and great God; have so lamentably defamed his holy apostles and faithful witnesses; so grossly profaned, the Lord's word; so deadly deceived the peo- ple; so unmercifully caused trouble to the godly and pious, and that j'ou have heaped such gTeat guilt and sin upon your own, poor soul, by your writing. Surely your whole book is nothing but a plain declara- tion and manifestation of your own shame and anti-christian doctrine, both for the present and future world, which discovers, proclaims, and publishes j^our abominably great abuse and error unto all men who seek the Lord. Friend Micron, reflect, and see if I do not rightly point out your very dangerous wounds and deadly sores, ac- cording to the Scriptures. Lastly, you have made j^ouself a shame and dishonor to all the rest of the preach- ers, who are your fellows in doctrine and service, in the sight of all the pious of the world. For, as you migrated from Flan- ders to England; from England to Fries- land, for the sake of the gospel, as is said; and as you do much writing and disputing, lead a reasonable, civil life before the world; are not particularly considered as an adul- terer, wine-bibber or coxcomb; in short, as you are finely clothed in sheep's clothing, &c.; therefore you are probably looked upon and considered as an exemplary per-