Another Letter of Jacob the Chandler, Sent to Pouwel van Meenen

May the eternal, incomprehensible God, who alone is wise, grant you His grace, mercy, and peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and fill you with all wisdom, knowledge and understanding, through the Holy Ghost, that you may walk worthily before God, to do His will, to the praise of His holy name, to the edification of His church, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish, my much beloved and very dear brother Pouwel, as a friendly greeting and for a parting farewell.

After all proper greetings, I inform you, my dear brother, that I understood from your letter that you ask me to write to you, for a remembrance, about all the articles of faith; which I would willingly do for your sake, but I do not think that I shall have the time. In the second place, I understood that after the writing of the first letter you saw the articles of faith which I briefly wrote to my children.

In the third place, I understand from the little note which you wrote afterward, that you especially want to know my views as to what is to be done with persons who will not avoid those whom the church has excommunicated according to the Scriptures, and are not willing to confess to guilt in the matter. I am greatly astonished that this spirit also shows itself; but I fear that he is different in his nature from what he pretends to be; for the avoidance is very much in the way of Satan, yet the apostle teaches that it is a good means to make the excommunicated ashamed, that is, to bring him to humility or repentance. Second Thessalonians 3, verse 14. But now I hear that the defect in regard to this avoiding lies chiefly, not with those that are avoided, but with those that should avoid. From this it is quite evident that the reason why they will not avoid lies with them, and not with those that are avoided, which also appears so to me, since I have noticed and feared that there was a covetous, self-seeking spirit with many, so that the mind was far more exercised in temporal business, traffic, and the like, than in godliness; indeed, that they sought more to lay up treasures on earth than in heaven. And this avoidance is often greatly in the way of this spirit, for it inconveniences him sometimes in his business; hence one begins to consider whether this cannot be set aside, and this with Scripture; for this spirit is of such a nature that he does not like to make himself known; but he seeks to cover himself with the cloak of righteousness. He is also not reproved much in the church, or if he is to be reproved, he must be called by another name; for he is sometimes reproved as a heretic, sometimes as a juggler, sometimes as an idolater. And this is the reason that he can conceal himself so well, but yet shows his nature in this way; for wherever he goes he does not go to be idle. Hence the apostle writes: "The love of money is the root of all evil." First Timothy 6, verse 10.

The apostle further writes: "Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us." Second Thessalonians 3, verse 6. And he further writes: "If any man does not obey our word, point out that man in a letter, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." Second Thessalonians 3, verses 14 and 15. With this the apostle indicates that the church is as much bound to have nothing to do with the disobedient as she is bound to withdraw herself from such as walk disorderly, even though the word withdraw might be understood only with reference to excommunication; for as the church must withdraw herself, lest she should be leavened or defiled by such persons, so she must have nothing to do with them, that they may be ashamed. Again, the church defiles herself when she does not avoid, since this is commanded and taught her by the apostle, for he taught this, that it should be done, as may be seen in his epistle to the Corinthians; for he writes: "I wrote to you in an epistle not to keep company with fornicators." First Corinthians 5, verse 9. From this it seems that he had written to them before that time; but as they did not observe it, he explained it to them more fully, for he says: "Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then you would need to go out of the world. But I have written to you not to keep company with these." See, he says again: "I have written to you."

From this it can well be seen that he repeats it, in order that they should observe it better than they had done before; for they did also not observe excommunication, because they could not avoid; for where no excommunication is, there is also no avoidance, for avoidance springs from excommunication. Hence he reproved them as being puffed up, and that they did not mourn that such heinous deeds were committed among them; and he determined concerning him that had done this deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when they were gathered together, with His spirit, and with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus. Hence it is evident from this that for whatever excommunication is good, avoidance is also good, and that they serve the same purpose. For the apostle says that he delivered him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that is, for the mortification of the flesh; and concerning avoidance he says

"And have no company with him, that he may be ashamed." Mark for what this shame serves; for it serves a woman to wash herself when she is told that she is begrimed; a man, also, that is disrobed does not want to be seen in his nakedness, for he is ashamed; hence, when someone comes that would see him, he immediately puts on his clothes, that he should not be seen in his nakedness. As Adam, when he knew that he was naked, at once sought to cover himself, for he was ashamed; and he made an apron of fig leaves, to cover his shame. Now we must, according to the words of the apostle, avoid the excommunicated, that they may become ashamed; for if we withdraw ourselves from them, and avoid them, they have cause to consider why this is done, and through this considering to know their nakedness; and to become ashamed before the Lord their God, against whom they have sinned, and are thus smitten in their conscience, so that in this condition they dare not appear before the Lord, and hence seek a means to cover their nakedness, but not with fig leaves, as Adam did, but with the skin of the Lamb Christ Jesus, who must be received through faith with a broken and contrite heart. As Adam, when he humbled himself, God put a coat of skins on him, to cover his nakedness. Thus, dear brother, excommunication and avoidance have the same purpose, and they are not contrary to each other; hence the apostle says: "Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." Admonition is not contrary to avoidance, for admonition serves to amendment, even as avoidance and excommunication serve to it. Hence the apostle does not prohibit it, but teaches that they are to be admonished as brothers; for all that is not contrary to them, namely, excommunication and avoidance, they do not prohibit; but where excommunication is, there must also be avoidance, for it proceeds from excommunication. Hence, when he wrote to the Corinthians how they should deliver the fornicator to Satan, and purge out the old leaven, he also wrote to them: "But now I have written to you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one, not even to eat. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside?" Mark, he says, judge; yet he had not written anything from which they might have understood that the world should be excommunicated; but he had written that they should have no company with fornicators; and in order that they should not understand it with reference to the fornicators of the world, that one should have no company with them, he says: "Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous; for then you would need to go out of the world. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside?" See, he calls it judging, that, as he said, one should have no company with them; although avoidance is not excommunication or the judgment itself, but it confirms the judgment; for when I say, You must have nothing to do with that man, I thereby declare that he is excommunicated, and all that avoid him show that he is judged. Hence he says: "Do you not judge those that are within? But those that are outside God judges. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

From this we can well see that avoidance is as well founded in the Scriptures as excommunication; hence those who now reject avoidance reject the Scriptures, since it is founded in the Scriptures. Therefore, they that will not avoid sin, not against men, but against the Lord; hence the church may not tolerate such as so sin against the Lord and will not confess to guilt; for they are servants of the Lord, to punish all disobedience.

Now we see, in the first place from the words of Christ (Matthew 18, verse 15), that if anyone sins against his neighbor, by any transgression, he must be reconciled to his neighbor, or he cannot, after sufficient admonition, remain a brother, but he must be regarded as a heathen man or publican, who was excluded from the covenant of the Lord, and with whom the Jews would have no fellowship. John 4, verse 9. And since they must be regarded as persons that are excluded from the covenant of the Lord, because they have only through weakness sinned against their neighbor, and will not confess to guilt; how much more shall they be regarded so who sin against the Lord, and transgress His doctrine which is often done through heedlessness, or self-interest, or for the sake of friends or relatives and yet will not become reconciled to the Lord?

In the second place Moses writes that if anyone touched a dead body, and would not wash himself the third and the seventh day, he was to be cut off. Yet the dead had to be touched, for they must be buried; and yet, if they would not wash themselves, they had to be cut off; and the priest might not defile himself with any dead person; he was not allowed to go to any dead, for he had the anointing oil on his head. Numbers 19, verse 11; Leviticus 21, verse 1; Leviticus 8, verse 12; Exodus 19, verse 10. Hence, if they in Israel had to be so punished who would not wash themselves with water from a pollution which was caused by necessity, how shall they now be tolerated in the church who without necessity, indeed, often for the sake of gain, or through the prompting of flesh and blood, defile themselves with these dead, after they have been separated from the church, and yet will not wash themselves, or bear or confess their guilt? These people may not be tolerated in this way, according to the view which I have from the Scriptures: and if they are allowed to go unreproved, it must be declared as a liberty, and then perhaps tomorrow already another will arise and demand the abolishment of excommunication, and will prove to you that you have just as much power to maintain avoidance as you have to maintain excommunication; and then you will be beaten with your own staff, and thus the hedge will be completely broken down, and the wild boars will run into the vineyard of the Lord, and root it up. Psalm 80, verse 13; Isaiah 5, verse 5. Dear brother, take heed; blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; let Israel hear the word of the Lord; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering. Joel 2, verse 1; Second Timothy 4, verse 2. [n973-1]

With the simple that are led astray in understanding, deal in a fatherly, longsuffering manner, if God may perhaps yet enlighten them by His Spirit. Bind up the wounded; seek the erring; do not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Isaiah 61, verse 1; Luke 10, verse 34; Luke 15, verse 4; Isaiah 42, verse 3. Always take heed to yourselves, and to the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood. Acts 20, verse 28. Hence feed the flock of Christ not by constraint, but willingly (First Peter 5, verse 2), and remember that the apostle says: "Woe is to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed to me." First Corinthians 9, verses 16 and 17. Hence he also says: "Though we might have used authority, as the apostles of Christ, we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children; so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted to you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear to us." First Thessalonians 2, verses 6 to 8. And he said that as a father admonishes his children, so he had exhorted, comforted, and charged them, that they should walk worthy of God. Verses 11 and 12; Philippians 1, verse 27; Colossians 1, verse 10.

Thus, my dear brother, take heed to your sheep, and tend to your flock with a ready mind, and, when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that does not fade away. First Peter 5, verse 4; James 1, verse 12. Thus, my dear brother, be watchful, and do the work of a true preacher; make full proof of your ministry (Second Timothy 4, verse 5) and say like the prophet: "For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness goes forth as brightness, and its salvation as a lamp that burns." Isaiah 62, verse 1. Be on your guard, and watch over their souls, as one that must give an account of them. Hebrews 13, verse 17. If you see the sword coming, blow the trumpet, and warn the people in the name of the Lord, that the drowsy may awake, and the feeble knees make straight paths, and the hands which hang down be lifted up, and you be free of their blood. Hebrews 13, verse 17; Ezekiel 3, verses 19 and 21; Ezekiel 33, verse 3; Hebrews 12, verses 12 and 13. To this end may the Lord grant you His grace, and strengthen you by His Spirit, that you may receive the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. Amen.

I ask you, dear brother, to receive my brief exhortation in good part, for it has been written out of love; and here you have my simple views with regard to avoidance, and briefly what is to be done with those who do not avoid, and will not confess to guilt. I should have written more fully about it, but there was no good opportunity. With this I will commend my dear and much beloved brother, whom I love with all my heart, and his dear wife, to the Lord and to the Word of His grace. Pray the Lord for us. I thank you heartily for what you sent me; thank Peter very much in my name, this I ask of you. Written on the 17th and 18th of May by me, JACOB DE ROORE [n973-2]

I wish that you would send a copy of this letter to one of the ministers at Armentiers, or to my wife, for this is my desire. Dear brother Pouwel, if you desire anything further, and I have the time, I am at your service, though there is little to be obtained from me. Greet your ministers very much in my name, and all them that fear and love God, where it is convenient.

Alle die lijden na den wille Godts, wilt hierop

mercken,

Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Schepper

met goede Wercken.

First Peter 4, verse 19.