Page:Complete Works of Menno Simons.djvu/719

419 AN EPISTLE TO MARTIN MICRON. 419 So long as yon do not do as here pointed out, it is manifest that yon without cause hate 3'oiu' neighbor, and are inimical to him, out of hatred of the truth; and are therefore separate from Christ, with the murderers. O, friend, reilect and repent. Take heed, lest you forever destroy your precious soul for the sake of a little tempo- rary and vain praise ! But a short time, and Micron is no more ! O, the sentence. Depart from me, ye cursed, into the ever- lasting fire ! Oh, oh, what a sentence ! Friend Micron, in faithful love I warn you. Take heed, I pray you. I have known several persons who were prompted by a like spirit of bitter zeal against the Lamb and his chosen ones, who were ad- judged and punished by the Lord, who does justly, and properly rewards the unjust, be- fore the eyes of men. It is about eighteen or nineteen 3^ears since that highly esteemed man, who was much respected by the world (whose name and country I will not mention), wickedly advised that they should destroy me to- gether with the pious. Ilis words and un- godly thoughts were hardly finished until the avenging hand of the Lord was laid upon him. He dropped at the table; and thus in a moment his blood-thirsty, impen- itent, ungodly life was ended in a terrible way. O, fearful judgment ! About the same time it happened to an- other man, who thought that he would so set his trap that I could not escape, that he at the same meal he was eating while speaking these words, was suddenly struck by an arrow from the Lord, stricken with a severe disease, and thus had to give an ac- count before the Lord. He was buried with- in eight days from the time he spoke these words. Another Avho was to become an officer to the emperor at a certain place, thought that he would destroy this people, if there was any vii-tue in the imperial army. He came to the place vrhere he was to be situated and serve in his capacity ; and four or five days thereafter the bell was tolled and the requiem sung over him. Behold, thus God, the Lord, annihilates the designs of the un- godly who storm this holy mount, and de- stroys those who hate his truth and are in- imical thereto. In the year 1554 three of our brethren were at Wisbui-g, in Gotland, for the pur- pose of earning a livelihood. A preacher of the city, named Lawrence, who M'as of the spirit of his father (the devil), cried after them in the street, hooted at them, and said "That they should not there practice their religion, if it were to cost him all that was surrounded by his clothes," meaning, his body and soul. A few days afterwards he conversed with one of these brethren in the presence of another preacher who was not unreasonably minded. He behaved outrageously. The great Lord, in the presence of both of them, smote him- so that he, at once, lost his voice; and within twenty -four hours he was a corpse. O, ter- rible punishment and judgment of God ! A case almost similar happened the same year at Wismer. They had accepted a crier, named Doctor Smedesteet, who said, "That he would rather have a hat full of our blood than a hat full of our gold." He persuaded the magistracy, who glady hear such makers of pillows, "To iiroclaij-i, just before cold winter, to the poor children to clear the place before St. Martin's day; or else they would be put where they would not like to go." Smedesteet was very joy- ous that he had accomplished the fultill- ment of his heart's desire, but to his sor- row; for the same day the Almighty, great Lord laid the hands of his wrath upon iiim, and within seven days the Lord took him away by a severe illness ; yet the blind, ob- durate world does not observe these things. In the year 1555 in the same city there was a preacher named Vincent, who lives there yet, who was neA^er tired of upbraiding and slandering. On the day they call the Lord's ascension-day, he read the Scripture, " He that believeth, and is baptized, sliall be saved, "Mark 16 : 16. He said, "He wouldup- braid and slander us so long as his mouth would open." The same hour the strong Lord closed it, and bound his tongue. He fell down in the pulpit, and was carried by some of those present as a punished one into his house, a dumb man. Behold, tluis he may punish those who would touch the apple of his eye and harm it. If I were to