Brief Complaint or Apology

“The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient,” Second Timothy 2, verse 24.

“For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” First Corinthians 3, verse 11.

We poor and despised Christians, who have to endure and suffer so much on account of the testimony of the word of the Lord, wish all theologians and preachers of every country who boast of the gospel, whoever and wherever they are, a new and penitent heart; a true, active faith in Christ Jesus; an unfeigned, ardent love; a saving doctrine; a sound doctrine according to the truth; and a pious, blameless life in the fear of the Lord, of God our heavenly Father, in the working and power of his Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus, his beloved Son, our Lord and eternal Savior. Amen.

It is a fact well known to all, dear men and brothers, how greatly the pure, divine truth is disregarded in our Netherlands because of the envious crying and clamor of the papists and monks, and that innocent blood is shed like water. Because of this we miserable children are forced to flee from the sword of the tyrants and to seek refuge in foreign lands with our weak women and little ones, and to earn our bread in tribulation and misery, as the word of God foretold. Many of you, it appears, cry out against us—perhaps with good intentions, through misunderstanding—and by false accusations stir up the magistracy (some of whom should be reasonable and discreet) to persecution, contrary to all reason and Christian love. You warn everybody against us as being of the same mind as the Munsterites: that we would take countries and cities if we had the power; that we are rebels and use the sword; that we steal; that we are polygamists; that we hold our women and possessions in common; that we will not obey the magistracy; that we murder our children in body and in soul; that we are Anabaptists, profaners of the sacraments, deceivers and hypocrites; that we boast of being without sin; that we are self-satisfied; that we are heaven-stormers who trust to be saved by our own good works and merits; that we are ungodly heretics and conspirators, new monks, rogues, miscreants and possessed of the devil. In short, you paint us, alas, in such colors that all who are not acquainted with our foundation and faith must shut their mouths and noses at the sight of us and be horrified by us—although before God and his angels we seek nothing on earth except that we, in our weakness, may be heartily united in the Spirit, word and example of the Lord, through his grace, as all the Scriptures teach and imply.

The almighty, great Lord, who knows all hearts, knows that we are clear before the Lord and his judgment of all the abominations and slanders mentioned above, of which you continually accuse us; and also that we are clear and innocent before all the world. Indeed, if anyone under the whole canopy of heaven can prove by solid truth that we and our adherents are guilty of one of these capital crimes, or ever were guilty of it, then we will lay our hands on our mouths and be bound to the accuser with life and possessions all our days—with this one exception, however: that we will not obey the magistracy when they command things contrary to the word of God. Is it not a deplorable thing that we are slandered and accused of such inhuman disgraces, when we never even thought of doing them, much less committed them?

O dear men and brothers, if you knew what we seek, and how, by the grace of God, we are disposed toward you all, you would not have such hard feelings against us as you have had until now—unless you are abandoned to ungodliness and perversity, which we trust is not true of many of you.

Since you are so lamentably mistaken about our intentions and heap one falsehood on another, and since, alas, we are not allowed anywhere to defend ourselves by word of mouth, we are forced to present a defense in writing. We humbly pray and admonish you all as brothers to consider these four things:

First, that you would consider in sincerity of heart that lies are of the devil; that the lying mouth kills the soul; that a liar has no part in God’s city; that backbiters are deserving of death; that they shall not abide in the tabernacle of the Lord nor dwell in his holy hill, Psalm 15, verse 1.

Second, that nearly all your accusations against us are capital crimes. If we did not fear the Lord, but strictly demanded our rights according to the law of the world and retaliated, what would finally become of us, since you publicly accuse us of such accursed abominations, which no man can ever prove against us by the power of the truth?

Third, that this conduct of yours is directly opposed to all nature, reason, Christian love and the word of God. For where was there ever a person of a pious nature who did not pity the outcast and sympathize with the afflicted? All the Scriptures teach that we are to receive, serve, protect and console the afflicted and strangers in love. And you see plainly how lamentably we poor, pitiable people are hated, despised, banished and oppressed everywhere, and in some places judged and murdered; yet your hearts are not moved enough to speak a single friendly word to us in our severe temptations and tribulations, or to examine our foundation, faith and conduct in a fatherly spirit according to the word of the Lord. Instead you stir up still more enmity against us, so that we may find no rest on earth. You cry out, write, falsify, upbraid and clamor; you add tribulation to tribulation and drag us to dungeons and prisons, as if you had never read a syllable of the word of the Lord with understanding minds, nor received a spark of his Holy Spirit. We leave it to your own judgment whether this can be called acting according to unfeigned Christian love, according to the doctrine and practice of the apostles, and according to the Spirit, word and example of the Lord.

Tell us, beloved, where do the Holy Scriptures teach that in the kingdom and church of Christ we are to rule the consciences and faith of others by force of the sword, by violence and by the tyranny of the magistracy—something which is left entirely to the judgment of God? In what instance did Christ and the apostles ever do, recommend or command this?

Christ says, “Beware of false prophets”; Paul commands that we shun a heretic after one or two admonitions; John teaches that we are not to greet nor receive into our houses the transgressor who does not bring the doctrine of Christ, Matthew 7, verse 15; Titus 3, verse 10; Second John 1, verse 9. They do not say: Down with the heretics; accuse them before the magistrates; imprison them, exile them, and cast them into the fire or the water—as the Romans have done for many years, and as many of you would do, you who claim to preach the word of God.

Fourth, we sincerely pray you, for Christ’s sake, to consider and examine whether your spirit agrees with the Lord’s Spirit and your faith with his holy word; whether it is the Spirit of the Lord and the love of your neighbor that move you to the ministry, or the love of gain and the temporal support of your bodies; whether you preach the pure word of God in sincerity of heart and use his sacraments rightly; whether you lead a pious and blameless life as the Scriptures teach; and whether you shun open transgressors—the pompous, drunkards, misers, extortioners, liars, deceivers, quarrelers, adulterers, fornicators, swearers and the unrighteous—and separate them from the communion without respect of persons, according to the word of the Lord. For, O Lord, we see such living and acting as if neither prophet, apostle, Christ nor the word of God had ever been on earth. Nevertheless you men want to be called the holy Christian church and preachers of sound doctrine, as if Christ required nothing more of his church than mere reading, singing, crying, infant baptism, breaking of bread and calling themselves by his name—and as if spirit, knowledge, faith, love, repentance, righteousness, works, power and truth were no longer necessary.

No, no, dear men, no. This is what is required of the church of Christ: to preach his unadulterated word in the power of the Spirit, to believe it sincerely and to obey it in every particular; to use his holy sacraments, such as baptism and the Holy Supper, according to his own command and ordinance; to seek, fear, love and serve God sincerely; to be born of God; to love, serve, console, help and protect one’s neighbor; to shun all false doctrines and works of darkness; to die to carnal lusts, which are contrary to the word of God; to forsake ourselves and the world; to lead a pious, peaceable, chaste, sober and humble life in righteousness, according to the truth. In short, to be of one mind with Christ Jesus. For it is beyond dispute that where these things are, there are also the kingdom and church of Christ. But the deceivers, the hateful, liars, slanderers, backbiters, the rebellious, the bloodthirsty, the greedy, the unmerciful, the cruel, the proud and the impenitent are of the wicked one. The Scriptures teach that their part shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, eternal death and everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, John 15, verse 12; John 3, verse 5; Mark 7, verse 15; Titus 3, verse 5; Second John, verse 9; Matthew 16, verse 23; Matthew 13, verse 42.

O men and brothers, if you would take this brief reminder to heart in the sincere fear of God, reflect on it, and judge according to the Spirit of the Lord, you would doubtless find such a great beam in your own eye that you would pay no attention to the small splinter that may perhaps be in your brother’s eye (for we are all of Adam’s seed). But to know ourselves is understanding, and to conform ourselves in all things to the Lord’s word is saving understanding and wisdom.

Since you accuse us so indiscreetly and falsely, and since you boast of being servants of God who teach his word and works, we pray you all, for the sake of the blood of Christ with which we are sprinkled, to consider how you treat us poor, afflicted people, so that you no longer sin by such open falsehoods and tyrannies as you have until now, but show a fatherly disposition that fits the divine working and the Christian name. For we testify before him who knows our hearts, before you and before the whole world—by word and in writing, with our possessions and blood, in life and in death—that we in our weakness are prepared and willing from the depths of our souls to obey the word and will of God. And we shall always be prepared, as we have been from the beginning of our faith and conduct, willingly to hear and obey anyone who can instruct us in a more powerful spirit and truth and can point out a more godly life. But if he cannot instruct us better, then we ask again, for Christ’s sake, that you leave us undisturbed in the truth and do not persecute and afflict the pious who walk in it. We hereby give notice to you all that we are willing to meet with you, at any suitable time and place, with one or two of our members (whether teachers or not), before a full assembly or before twenty or thirty reasonable and pious witnesses, just as you choose, to discuss the following points (for in these we differ) according to the Spirit, word, life, example, command, prohibition, practice and ordinance of God, in sincerity of heart, namely:

Of the right evangelical preachers and teachers—how, according to the word of God, they should be minded and qualified before they can rightly preach the word of God and administer his sacraments.

Of the doctrine of Christ and his apostles—that it does not change, but must remain unchanged until his coming again.

That Christ is a perfect teacher, and that his offering is a perfect offering.

Of true regeneration: what it is, of whom it is, and what its natural fruits and disposition are.

Of true evangelical faith and love: their proper qualities, power and working.

Of God’s commandments and the keeping of them.

Of true Christian baptism—how it was commanded by the Lord, and how it was taught and practiced by the apostles.

Of the Lord’s Holy Supper—what it is, by whom it was instituted and ordained, and what it implies and represents.

Of the true apostolic ban or separation—its proper fruits and usefulness.

Of the pious Christian life which is of God.

If you have anything else to discuss, you may present it and have it tested by the word of God.

See, dear men and brothers, this is what we would gladly have you accept, if it can be obtained in sincerity of heart, under safe conduct, without any trickery or stratagem, according to the rules of Christian love and the word of God—as Origen, Augustin, Hilarius and others did in their times with those whose doctrine was suspected. You cannot blame us for asking for safe conduct and freedom, for it is evident that on every side they cry out against us vindictively and madly.

If you are servants of Christ and seek the praise of the Lord and the salvation of your brothers, as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter and Paul did in their times, then you would rejoice and praise the Lord; you would restore our good name among the people and from now on leave off such slanderous language as has been mentioned; you would reform your life, and accept, advise and help bring about the offered discussion in Christian faith. For we do not propose to have the discussion judged by human philosophy, wisdom and ideas, as some do, but by Christ’s own Spirit, word, command, prohibition, ordinance, practice and example. But if you reject and refuse it, and still go on in your bitterness, falsehoods, slanders, upbraiding, backbiting and disgrace as you have until now, then we poor, miserable souls must leave it to the Lord, as we have done until now, possess our souls in patience, let ourselves be punished, and console ourselves with this saying: “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven,” Matthew 5, verses 11 and 12. But you must fill up the measure of your fathers and make yourselves manifest, that you do not seek the sheep but only their milk, wool and fat, Ezekiel 34, verse 3. There are only two ways open: either you must stop your false accusations and slander and enter into a discussion with us, or you must acknowledge that you are not the true teachers, and give up your gospel fame and Christian name.

With this we commend you all to the Lord, and we ask that no one take offense at it; for we have done it for the advancement of the holy word and for the defense of our good name. And we repeat that we are at all times prepared and willing for the discussion on the conditions mentioned.

May the merciful Lord grant you all a sincere, pious heart to love the saving truth of Christ and to walk according to it, to the praise of God and the salvation of your souls. Amen.

“A bishop, then, must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach.” He “must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers,” First Timothy 3, verse 2; Titus 1, verses 7 to 9.

By us despised strangers and scattered Christians, for the sake of God’s word and its testimony. In the year 1552.