Humble and Christian Justification

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you,” Matt. 5: 11, 12.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Cor. 3: 11.

May the blessing and Salvation be with the Christian Reader:

Inasmuch, christian reader, as we poor, despised strangers and pilgrims are rejected and despised by all the world; are accounted the off-scourings, and that because we diligently seek our salvation, so that the pious and godfearing heart must tremble and be astounded at the defamation which they unjustly heap upon the righteous, so that some who strive after the truth dare hardly join this ardent people; therefore, christian reader, this book, the band with which we shall tie the arrant liars and their slander, is translated, out of pure love, and to the profit and use of the reader from the eastern tongue, which is not used in this country, into the Holland language, that every godfearing person may stop the mouth of the slanderer. For it is said, Jacula previsa minus feriunt. Wherefore we pray you to accept in love this our labor, which we performed to your service. For our sincere desire, wish, striving and laboring is, that many may come to the true knowledge of the truth, and be saved. Fare ye well.

All that we sincerely desire, reasonable reader (behold, before God we lie not), is, that by our writing, teaching, living, misery and confiscation of our goods we may once acquire so much mercy from the children of men that we shall be allowed a private discussion with our adversaries, before any number of pious, intelligent, and reasonable men who love and fear the Lord and who can distinguish between good and evil, if it cannot be allowed us in public; and that their lies and accusations shall not be believed, until teacher is confronted with teacher, and the accuser before the accused with equal rights and liberty, as the word of God, christian love and natural reason teach and imply, that thus the ungodly may no longer be protected in their ungodliness, the wicked in their evil doing and that the pious and righteous be no longer condemned and suppressed, that God’s holy word, by which our souls must live, may be made manifest, the fearful lying cease and the unmerciful and cruel blood-shedding be stopped, which in itself is nothing but the manifest works of the infernal serpent, as Christ himself says; and which are, in appearance of true zeal and love of God, made use of without fear, reflection or mercy, by those who boast of the name, Spirit, word, death and blood of Christ, against those who with Asaph wash their hands in innocence. But we apprehend that it will not be allowed us. For in both sacred and profane history we read and find that the pure, wholesome truth, from the beginning of the world has generally been hated, belied and persecuted and that it has, as a general thing, only found shelter with a few in obscure nooks and corners, as a hateful, ungodly abomination. And that it can not be made manifest without tribulation and peril of life.

Because the good, pious Jeremiah reproved the Scribes for their false doctrine and wickedness; admonished the ignorant, confused and evil populace to repent, and threatened them with future plagues, he was called by them a heretic and deceiver, and by the princes a rebel and mutineer. He had to experience much misery although he was chosen of God, a prophet from his mother’s womb, and spake from the mouth of the Lord; he had to hear, that on his account, they had to bear such sore plagues. Ahab, the blood-thirsty and idolatrous king, blamed the pious and spiritual man that it was he who seduced all Israel, 1 Kings 18: 18.

Again King Joram thought that Elisha had entailed the great famine in Samaria, 2 Kings 6.

John, a man sent from God, blessed in his mother’s womb, the greatest born of woman, a burning, shining light, the messenger of the Lord, a voice crying in the wilderness, the second and spiritual Elias, was accused that he was possessed of devils, and was at last beheaded because of his reproving a shameful case of fornication, Luke 1 : 15; Matt. 11 : 11; Jn. 5 : 35; Mal. 3: 1; Mk. 1: 3; Matt. 11: 14.

Again, Jesus Christ, the eternal Light and Life himself, was called Beelzebub, a Samaritan, and possessed of a devil, a mover of insurrection, a transgressor of the law, a blasphemer, a glutton and wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners; he was deemed worse than a murderer; and, at last, he was rewarded for all his glorious miracles, kindness and love shown to them, by putting on him a mock robe, a crown of thorns, scourging, cross and death, after they had derided and blasphemed him to their satisfaction.

How they treated Stephen, Peter, Paul, James and others, the Scriptures abundantly show, Acts 5, 6, 7, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21.

At the time or commencement of the primitive church, the christians were called swine by some; others called them robbers of God’s glory, murderers, infanticides, abominable, unchaste persons, who committed all manner of abominations with their mothers and sisters; and that they in their worship, shed human blood and also offered their children to idols; that they were rebels, and that because of their separation from the priesthood of Balaam, and their occasional night-meetings to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Again, enemies of the human race; unfruitful, corrupted people, because they would not keep company with the winebibbers, liars, &c., but led a sober, godly, humble and circumcised life, in the love and fear of God.

Again, enemies of God, accursed melefactors, and rogues, because they kept aloof from the shameful idolatry, and suffered themselves to be exiled and freely gave their goods and life blood for the sake of the testimony of the Lord and true religion and honor of God.

Behold, thus the blind, ungrateful world has ever rewarded and treated those who sought and feared God, with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their power, as Cyprian, Tertullian and other historians testify. Darkness can not bear the light; nor falsehood, truth. God’s word is an abomination to the ungodly, for it is a treasure of wisdom hidden from them. Christ says, “That light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” Jn. 3: 19. The pious and godfearing are ever an offense and sting in their hearts and are a hurt in their sight. And this is the cause that the world, which in all its doings will ever live unrebuked and unhindered in idolatry, pride, pomp, licentiousness and lust, from the beginning, has so enviously hated, miserably belied and so tyrannically persecuted the pious and godfearing.

O kind reader, thus it is to-day as you can see on every hand. The whole world is saturated with all manner of wickedness. False doctrine, idolatry, unbelief, licentiousness, shame and blasphemy are in the ascendency; it will not be reproved nor admonished. It hates all who would, in pure love, at the cost of their goods and life, gladly deliver them from their wicked and inordinate life, point and lead them in the way of peace and save their souls, if possible.

The wise and learned, who ever have plagued and pestered the pious and righteous the most, as was said in our Confessions, heap one abominable lie upon another, lest their unreasonable and shameful gain and false boasting be destroyed. They pretend and cry that we are Munsterites; that we do not want to be subject to and obey the magistracy; that we mean to take cities and countries by force; that like the irrational creatures, we have our goods and women in common; that we say to each other, Sister, my spirit desires thee. Again, that we claim to be without sin, and that we mean to be saved by our own merits and works, and the like unfounded lies, that they may thus lead from truth, all mankind and particularly the lords, princes and magistrates which they have inebriated by their golden cup, that they may embitter and turn them against all the pious children of God. He is called and considered a fine, evangelical preacher and a competent teacher well lettered, who can only quarrel, upbraid, slander and lie sufficiently to move the magistracy, who perhaps, would be reasonable, kind and favorable enough if they were not spurred on and vexed by this unreasonable generation of vipers, to persecution, so that the innocent, belied sheep that would not injure a hair on any one, are, without a hearing, led captive, and mercilessly exiled from country, city and town, into misery and privation, and chased by the ravening wolves until they are consumed by over-exertion, heat, cold or rain. In this, I think, they fill the measure of their ancestors of whom Christ said, Oh Lord! oh, beloved Lord! how long will these inhuman tyrannies and fearful abominations continue?

Inasmuch as they have so embittered all lords, princes, regents, potentates and common people against us by their fearful cry of murder, and by their slanderous lying that we can not acquire sufficient mercy by all our prayers, beseechings and supplications, by all our innocence, tears, patience, misery, cross, goods and blood that we might be allowed a public conference and discussion with our enviers; and as according to justice and christianity it becomes the magistracy to allow us a fair hearing and trial, and that they do not usurp to themselves, in the judgment seat of the Most High God, to shed innocent blood; and as we are ever slandered by their unfounded lies, and as truth is thus smothered; therefore we are impelled by the urging of the word of God and the love of our neighbors, to publish in writing our excuse and answer with pure, christian truth, that by our defense in writing, since they are so enraged that we can not appear publicly to defend ourselves, the godfearing conscience which would not knowingly act contrary to the will of God, no matter whether he be a magistrate or citizen, learned or unlearned, may know that by the beforementioned abominations we are innocently slandered and belied by our opponents; or that God would grant that thus the word and truth of the Lord might become more known and manifest thereby, and that the deceit and feigned holiness of the learned and priests, must become discovered and manifest to all the world.

Honorable reader, we humbly beseech you for the Lord’s sake, to consider impartially why we so often refer to the preachers, admonish and reprove them of many things which, alas, are not to their honor and reputation. For, as we clearly see that they are those who, for the sake of shameful gain and avarice, so falsely console, retain and bind the whole world in their unbelief, idolatry and impenitent, carnal life; so miserably break the truth and trample it under foot; so miserably murder the poor souls which are so dearly bought, not with perishable gold and silver, but with the precious blood of Christ; so enviously and scornfully hate, slander and belie the pious and godfearing and take their goods and even their lives, which is quite different from the Spirit of the Lord, that they may hold to their shameful gain, lustful, vain and fruitless life without reproof; and as they do not suffer themselves to be admonished, taught and warned by the word of God, by love, longsuffering, piety and the blood of the saints; therefore the glory of God and the salvation of your souls require us to do so. The Almighty Lord is our testimony, that we aim at nothing but that those who are reasonably minded and yet do not know the mystery of unrighteousness, as Paul calls it, 2 Thess. 2: 9 (as they are yet carnally minded, not born of God and kept back by the preachers), may learn to know the preachers and teachers by such clear and plain discoverings; further reflect upon it and thus become tired of their shameful deceit and seduction; and that all lords and magistrates who dare boast of the name of Christ may know what kind of people and teachers those are who slander us and to whom they give ear and faithfully protect by their arms.

In the first place, they complain and accuse us of being Munsterites; and warn all people to beware of us and take an example from those of Munster.

Answer. We do not like to reprove and judge those who are already reproved and judged of God and man; yet, as we are wrongfully attacked and accused by our opponents, and that without truthfulness, therefore we would say in defense of us all that we consider the Munsterian doctrine and life, in regard to king, sword, rebellion, retaliation, revenge, polygamy and the temporal kingdom of Christ, as a new Jewism, and a misleading error, doctrine and abomination which is not at all in keeping with the Spirit, word and example of Christ. Behold, in Christ, we lie not.

Besides, I can fearlessly challenge any body, that none under the broad canopy of heaven can show and prove that I ever agreed with the Munsterites in regard to the beforementioned articles; for from the beginning until the present moment I have opposed them with diligence and earnestness, both privately and publicly, verbally and in writing, for over seventeen years, and ever since I confessed the word of the Lord and knew and sought his holy name according to my weakness.

I also, according to my small talent, have faithfully warned every body against their error and abomination, as I would that it should be done unto me. And in the mean time I have pointed and returned several of them to the true way, by the grace, assistance and power of the Lord.

I have never seen Munster nor have I ever been in their communion. And I trust that by the grace of the Lord, I shall never eat nor drink with such if there should yet be any, as the Scripture teaches me not to do; unless they sincerely acknowledge their abomination and truly repent, and follow the truth and the gospel in a becoming manner.

Behold, kind reader, this is my understanding and opinion of the Munsterites, as is also the opinion of all those who are known and accepted of us as brethren and sisters, that is, those of us who, on account of the false doctrine, unclean pedo-baptism and supper of the preachers, are visited with superabundance of misery, tribulation and anxiety, and who assert and testify unto death their pure doctrine of baptism and Supper, with an humble confession and a pious, unblamable life.

But all those who reject the cross of Christ, as did the Munsterites; turn their backs upon the Word of the Lord; again revert to carnality, idolatry and its communion; walk in all pomp, pride and inebriety; in short, all those who are on the broad road, although they may be baptized, we do not know nor accept as brethren and fellows, inasmuch as they do not abide in the word of the Lord. Behold, kind reader, this is the truth and it will ever be found so. The learned may upbraid and garble to their satisfaction, yet they should know that although they are now honored and respected on earth, as the Psalmist testifies, we shall at last appear before a Judge who has no respect of person and who will not judge according to the complaint, nor favor and partiality, but according to the truth.

But if they should say we are one church with the Munsterites, because they and we are baptized with one baptism, then we would reply that if outward baptism has the power to make all those who are thus baptized with one baptism, one church, and that it causes all those who are thus baptized to share in the unrighteousness, wickedness and corruption of every individual, then our adversaries may well consider what kind of a church or body theirs is, as it is evident and well known to every body that perjurers, murderers, highway-men, thieves, &c., have received the same baptism which they have, If we, then are Munsterites because of our baptism, they must be perjurers, murderers, highway-men, thieves, &c., on account of their baptism. This is incontrovertible.

O, no. The Scripture does not teach that we are baptized into one body by any mere sign, as water, but that we are baptized into one body by one Spirit, 1 Cor. 12: 13. The prophet says, “The Son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,” but “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” Ezek. 18:20. Paul says, “Every one shall bear his own burden.” And if they, now, should say that the transgressors are punished by the magistracy according to the sentence of justice, we would reply, that we also thus judge and punish them with the sword of the Spirit, according to the ordinance and commandment of God, namely, according to the word of the Lord, that is, we separate from us all those who turn away from the truth by any unclean or false doctrine or by any licentious, carnal walk, as was said.

In short, we herewith, testify and confess before God, before you, and before the whole world, that we, from our inmost hearts detest the errors and abominations of the Munsterites, as also all evil sectarianism which are contrary to the Spirit, word and ordinance of the Lord; and that before God, in Christ Jesus, we neither seek nor desire anything more than that we may turn the whole world from its wickedness, to the right way, and that we may, by the word, grace and assistance of the Lord, deliver many souls from the kingdom of the devil, and gain them to the Kingdom of Christ; that we may lead a pious, humble and godly life in Christ Jesus, and that we may glorify his great and adorable name, forever. For we firmly believe and confess that all false doctrine, idolatry, ungodliness and sin are of the devil; and that the reward of sin is everlasting death. Therefore we labor so diligently and earnestly; and would, the Lord knows, be pious and fear God, notwithstanding we miserable men are so shamefully belied, hated and scandalized and often slain, on that account, Rom. 1: 26; 1 Cor. 6; Gal. 3; Eph. 5; 1 Pet. 3.

In the second place they say that we will not obey the magistracy.

Answer. The writings which we have published during several years past abundantly prove that this accusation against us is wrong and untrue. We now publicly confess that the office of a magistrate is ordained of God, as we ever have confessed since we serve, according to our small talent, the word of the Lord. And, in the meantime, we have ever obeyed them when not contrary to the word of God, and we intend to do so all our lives; for we are not so stupid as not to know what the Lord’s word commands in this respect. We render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s as Christ teaches, Matt. 17: 22; we pray for the imperial majesty, kings, lords, princes and all in authority, honor and obey them, 1 Tim. 2: 2; Rom. 13: 1. And yet they cry that we will not be subject to and obey the powers that be, that they may disturb the hearts of those that have authority and excite them to all unmercifulness, wrath and bitterness against us, and that, thus, by their continual cries the bloody sword may be unmercifully used against us and never be sheathed, as may be seen, Rom. 13: 7; Tit. 3: 2; 1 Pet. 2: 13.

Inasmuch as they ever excite the magistracy by such gross falsehood; besides, will say yea and amen to every thing the magistracy do, whether agreeable to the Scripture or not; and as they thus by their tickling doctrine lead these souls into condemnation, because they seek not their salvation, but their own enjoyment and gain; therefore love compels us respectfully and humbly to show all high in authority who would do right if they knew it, and had one to point it out to them (since it was concealed from the preachers), how, according to the word of the Lord, they should be minded; also, how they should rightfully execute their office to the praise and glory of the Lord.

Moses speaks thus, “And it shall be, when he (the king) setteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them (dear lords, mark, it reads: to do them). That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandments, to the right hand, or to the left.” “He shall not multiply horses to himself;” “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, nor silver and gold,” Deut. 17: 16—20. Concerning rulers Jethro thus speaks to Moses, “Provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place such over them, to be rulers,” Ex. 18: 21.

Moses says, “And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s,” Deut. 1: 16, 17.

Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, said to the judges, “Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in judgment.” O, an important and heroic word. “Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of person, nor taking of gifts,” 2 Chron. 19: 6, 7.

Paul says, “Rulers are not a terrror to good works, but to evil (mark ye rulers). Wilt thou, then, not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid: for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil,” Rom. 13: 3, 4.

Behold, beloved rulers and judges, if you take to heart these cited Scriptures and diligently reflect upon them, you will observe, first, that your office is not your own but God’s office and service, that you may bend your knees before his Majesty; fear his great and adorable Name and rightly and reasonably execute your ordained office; and that you may not thus freely usurp the kingdom, dominion and jurisdiction of Christ, and judge and punish by your iron swords that which belongs solely to the eternal Judgment of the Most High God, as in matters of faith, which also, Luther and others wrote in the beginning. But after they became more exalted they seem to have forgotten it all. Dear rulers, observe how very much Moses, Joshua, David, Ezekiel, Josiah, Zorobabel and others are praised in the Scriptures, because they feared the Lord and faithfully and diligently kept his commandments, counsel and word.

If you lift your hearts above all the mountains, and will not hear what the mouth of the Lord commands you, but only listen to the whisperings of your flesh; if you will not confess that you are the officers and servants of the Lord and that you have received of him country and people to rule, you cannot possibly avoid the punishment of him who has called you to be such exalted potentates, commanders, heads and regents.

Beloved, observe, and beware. Before him Crœsus and Irus are alike respected. Therefore sincerely fear and love your God; examine the Scriptures and take into consideration how the great Lord in his wrath has, on account of their tyranny, cruelty, pride, blasphemy, disobedience, and idolatry, mercilessly upset and destroyed the thrones of potentates; as of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Sanherib, Antiochus, Saul, Jeroboam, Ahab and others, as may be clearly and plainly read in the Scriptures.

Secondly, you may understand from these Scriptures that you are called and ordained to your offices to punish the transgressors and protect the good; to judge rightly between man and his fellow; to do justice to the widows and orphans; to the poor, despised stranger and pilgrim; to protect them against violence and tyranny, rule cities and countries justly by a good policy and administration not contrary to God’s word, to the peaceable and quiet enjoyment of the life of all, and that you should anxiously seek and love the holy word (by which the soul lives), name and glory of God, and promote, protect and maintain the same as much as possible, without bloodshed and uproar.

Behold, beloved lords and judges, this is the proper office to which you are called. Whether you fulfill these requirements piously and faithfully, I will leave to your own consideration. I think with holy Jeremiah that you have all broken the yoke and rent it in pieces; for you reject and detest, as a venomous serpent, the dear word which you should reasonably protect; the false teachers and prophets who deceive the whole world and whom, according to the word of God, we should shun, are by you kept in high esteem; and the poor, miserable sheep who, in their weakness, sincerely fear and obey the Lord and who speak not a harmful word of any one, because they dare not do aught against his word; who lead a penitent, pious life; make the right use of his sacraments according to the Scriptures; abhor all false doctrine, sectarianism and ungodliness; are exiled from city and country and are often adjudged to fire, water or the sword; their goods are confiscated; their children, who according to the words of the prophet, are not responsible for the transgressions of their fathers, if the fathers were, even, guilty, are sent to wander about naked; and thus the labor and sweat of their parents they must leave in the hands of these avaricious, greedy, unmerciful and bloodthirsty robbers.

O, ye beloved lords and judges, we will leave it to your own judgment whether this is to protect the good and punish the evil, to judge justly between man and man; to do justice to the widow, orphan and stranger, as the Scriptures teach and your office implies. O no, beloved rulers, no. Take heed, the matter is changed. The good are punished and the evil encouraged and protected. For the events of every day prove that it is as the prophets complained of. Perjurers, usurers, blasphemers, liars, deceivers, fornicators and adulterers are in no danger of death, but those that fear and love the Lord are the prey of all the world. The prophet says, “Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother; in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow,” Ezek. 22 : 6, 7. Read and diligently ponder upon the prophetic Scriptures, and you will find what terrible threats the holy and faithful men of God have ever prophesied of such evils and abuses. And if you do despise these our admonitions, they, nevertheless, are the firm truth; this you must acknowledge. For it is manifest and undeniable that in our Netherlands the lascivious, unchaste, and vain men whom they call pastors, ministers, masters and teachers, some of whom defile one maiden and woman after another, who openly live in all manner of licentiousness, ungodliness, idolatry, and drunkenness, and who do not rightly live in obedience to the word of God in any particular, rob, by their shameful treason, many godfearing people who, before God and his angels, seek nothing but to lead a righteous, unblamable life, according to the direction of the word of God, of their country, honor, possessions and, even, life; while they (the traitors) live at liberty and ease.

Inasmuch as the scale of justice is so very much out of balance; and as you are chosen and ordained of God to judge without respect of person and to deliver from the hands of the oppressor all the afflicted and oppressed strangers; therefore we pray you humbly, most beloved rulers and judges, for the sake of him who has called and chosen you to your offices, that you do not believe these cruel and envious men, who, according to Peter are born to corruption and torture; and who, ever publicly and privately, make us so obnoxious, by their cries, that we are not allowed a hearing and facing—so long as they, in our presence, do not prove (which, we are sure, they cannot do) against us that which they every day from their throne of pestilencies and mockery, so shamefully proclaim to the world, to the shame and injury of great numbers of pious and godfearing children. Beloved rulers, we beseech you for Christ’s sake, to fear and love God sincerely. Believe his true word and act accordingly, Isa. 1: 23; Ps. 73: 6.

In the third place, you will also observe from the Scriptures, that, although you are chosen authority on earth, yet you dare not act according to your own option and opinion. But you are to love your Lord and God sincerely as your Creator, Deliverer and Savior, and to fear and obey him as your Head, King, Prince and Judge; ever diligently to follow the directions of his word; not to lift yourselves above your subjects and brethren; and, never to deviate from the ways and commandments of the Lord. Henceforth, beloved rulers, diligently observe that you be christians in actions, works and truth, inasmuch as you boast yourselves such. Water, bread, wine and name make none a christian; but those are christians who are born of God: are of divine nature, are of the same mind as Christ Jesus; led by the Spirit of God, who daily crucify their evil and corrupt flesh; walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; love nothing above God’s word; love their neighbors as themselves; lead an unblamable, humble, pious life; who meekly walk in the footsteps of Christ and who are become new, changed and converted men and creatures in Christ. These the word of God calls christians, 2 Pet. 1:4; Phil. 2:5; Rom. 8: 14; Gal. 5: 24; Rom. 8: 2; Matt. 10: 37; 7: 12; 16: 24.

Beloved lords, observe that we do not read in the biblical Scriptures of proud, carnal, perjurious, adulterous, drunken, pompous, unrighteous, idolatrous and bloodthirsty christians. But that the portion of such shall be eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth, darkness, fire, hell, death and devil. Their portion will be in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, Rev. 21: 8; Rom. 1.

Dear lords, take heed, and be no longer deceived. For with God there is no respect of persons. This all the Scriptures teach. It is life everlasting, with the angels around the heavenly throne, or everlasting death with the devils in the bottomless pit; for it must all be judged according to the Spirit, example and word of God. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,” 1 Cor. 5: 17. “He that saith he abideth in him (Christ), ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” 1 Jn. 2: 6. It matters not whether one be emperor or king.

Beloved lords, this is God’s word. This is the price and measure after which you and we should strive. Whosoever does not strive after and conform himself to this measure, cannot be a christian. Therefore examine your teachers well; earnestly and diligently consider whether or not they point you to this narrow way. I presume that they preach peace to you; make your pillows soft and agreeable, and that they do not severely reprove your court-manners and practices, such as, dancing, drinking, fornication, gambling and debauchery in general. In short, that you build the wall, and they daub it with untempered mortar, Ezek. 13: 10.

Beloved rulers, we do not do so; but we teach and direct you in the right way which you should walk if you wish to be saved. We do not point you to the pope, or Luther, or Augustine, or Hieronymus, but according to Scripture, to Christ Jesus, to hear him, to believe and faithfully follow him. For he is the Prophet promised of God; the Teacher sent of God; the Light of the world; the true Shepherd of our souls. Whosoever shall hear, believe, and follow him has eternal life, Deut. 18: 18; Jn. 3: 2; 8 : 12; 3 : 15. He calls to emperor, king and to every one, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven;” “If any man will come after me (or whosoever will be a true christian), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me;” whosoever loves any thing more than he loves me cannot be my disciple; and is not worthy of me, and many other passages, Matt. 18: 3; 16: 24; Luke 14; Matt. 10: 38.

Rulers, awake, and learn to know him. He is the Son of the Most High God, the Lord of lords and the King of kings; the eternal power, word and wisdom of God. What kind of pomp, ease and comfort he enjoyed on earth, the Scriptures abundantly teach us. At his birth, there was no room for him in the inn, Luke 2: 8. In his preaching, he had not where to lay his head, Luke 9: 58. His entrance into Jerusalem was not accompanied with cavalry, guards and knights, but upon an ass. At his death he had neither water nor wine wherewith to quench his thirst. Why was it? Was it that we should live a lustful, pleasurable life? O, no. But, according to Peter, it was that we should die unto sin and live in righteousness, Matt. 21 : 7; 1 Pet. 4 : 3; Rom. 6: 7; 2 Tim. 2: 11; Col. 3: 5.

Behold, beloved rulers, behold! This is the court-practice which the heavenly Prince, Christ Jesus, has taught all his courtiers on earth, namely, all christians. O, the narrow way! The strait gate! How few find, and fewer still who walk therein! Matt. 7: 14; Luke 13: 24.

I write this admonition that the princes, regents and lords may take heed, and observe that they are miserably deceived by the preachers, since they preach such easy and sweet things, and point out such a broad way, while the word of God shows us such a strait way. I herewith humbly beseech you, lords, princes, kings and judges, one and all, for the sake of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, with which we are besprinkled, not to think hard of me, poor, miserable, and despised man, that I have thus faithfully shown my sincere love to you. For I would joyfully see that your poor souls were saved. My admonition is general, and I do not mention any particular name. Whosoever is guilty, let him repent; and whosoever is not guilty, let him take heed. God is my witness, that I desire nothing but that you all may be such indeed, that you may be praised and honored by all, by noble lords, and a christian magistracy, that you will stand impartially between us and our opponents, the learned, as becomes your office, that the enchanting, deceiving falsehood may once go down and be destroyed, and that the unadulterated truth which for centuries has been kept back, may be restituted. Beloved rulers, the word of God is truth. Love, embrace and kiss it; for its riches are immeasurable, its beauty exceeding, its fruits precious and its power is eternal life, Jn. 17.

In the third place, they say, That we are rebellious; that we would take cities and countries, if we had the power.

Answer. This prophecy is false and will ever remain so; and by the grace of God, time and experience will prove that those who thus prophesy, according to the word of Moses, are not of God. Faithful reader, understand what I write.

The Scriptures teach that there are two opposing princes and two opposite kingdoms. The one is the Prince of peace; the other the prince of rebellion. Each of the princes has his particular kingdom and as the prince is, so is also the kingdom. The Prince of peace is Christ Jesus; his kingdom is the kingdom of peace, which is his church; his messengers are the messengers of peace; his word is the word of peace; and his body is the body of peace; his children are the seed of peace; and his inheritance and reward are the inheritance and reward of peace, Heb. 7; Isa. 9; Dan. 2 : 7; Luke 1; Isa. 52; Rom. 10; Jn. 14; Col. 3; Zech. 8. In short, with this King and in this kingdom and reign it is nothing but peace; every thing that is seen, heard and done is peace.