Why Menno Simon Does Not Cease Teaching and Writing, Part 2

For if literal Israel was so severely punished and crushed by God because they did not abide by the law, commandments, statutes and righteous ordinances of their God, and because they did not hear and receive the reproofs, admonitions and teachings of their faithful prophets, who spoke to them by the inspiration of God, but stoned them, put them to the sword, killed, upbraided and blasphemed them, and followed a worship to suit their own taste, as has been shown above—O, what must we then expect from God if we do not abide by the wholesome doctrine of grace, by the right, holy sacraments, by the works of love which are pleasing to God, and by the pious, blameless life which no Moses, prophet, angel or creature has taught us? It is the eternal Son of God, the eternal wisdom and truth, the eternal love and mercy, the blessed Christ Jesus, who has taught it to us with his own blessed mouth, by the command of his Almighty Father—a command that is eternal and unchangeable, and a Father whose love for us is beyond words. He has confirmed it by the power of miracles and at last sealed it with his precious blood, and has proclaimed it to all the world by his faithful witnesses, his holy apostles, in the incomprehensible power of the Spirit. This doctrine is nothing else, and will never be anything else, than the precious gospel of peace, the glad tidings of grace, the remission of sin, the victory over death, hell and the devil; and besides this, grace, peace, freedom and access to the Father; and all this out of love and grace—not by works or merit of our own, but by means of Christ Jesus alone.

Again, these are the sacraments which Christ Jesus has instituted and taught. First, the holy baptism of believers, in which we bury our sinful flesh and take on a new life, seal and confess our faith, and testify to the new birth and a good conscience; and so we enter into the obedience of Jesus Christ, who has taught and commanded us so, both himself and in his Holy Spirit through his disciples. Second, the Holy Supper, in which the death of the Lord, who died for us in his great love, is represented; and in which true brotherly love is represented, and also the righteous, blameless, Christian life, which must be lived inwardly and outwardly in the full measure of death to sin and of unfeigned love, in keeping with the word of God.

See, worthy reader, the whole world—indeed, all tongues, tribes and peoples—has degenerated, by the righteous sentence of God, in the doctrine, sacraments and life that are pleasing to God, for they prefer falsehood to truth and unrighteousness to righteousness. They have given themselves to all manner of false teachings, false ceremonies and carnal life, so that we may regard them as brutes rather than human beings, as devils rather than Christians, as every reasonable person can easily see and understand, even without the word of God. And the learned and the preachers, whom we should reasonably expect to reprove such things, are themselves given to the same false doctrine, unbelief and abominable idolatry, and even lead a more beastly and hellish life. Indeed, these learned people diligently lead and force all mankind into such idolatry, unbelief, transgression and accursed life, both by their teaching and by their example, as most of the learned have done from the beginning; for they are always earthly, carnally and devilishly minded, and they always reject the spiritual and heavenly wisdom and will of Jesus Christ, which restrains the carnal lusts, as a displeasure and an inconvenience, Colossians 3, verse 5; First Peter 2, verse 11; Romans 13, verse 14. Therefore, since I clearly see this terrible contempt for the holy word of God, and the condemnation of countless thousands of souls whom Christ Jesus has so dearly bought and ransomed with his precious blood—for outside of obedience to the divine word there is no salvation—I cannot be silent. For the honor and praise of my Lord and God are at stake, and it serves the salvation of a poor, erring brother—even though it may perhaps be at the risk of my life.

Who knows whether God, in his grace, has not chosen and provided, through me and through my beloved brothers who are and who shall be, that some of those who now err unknowingly may yet acknowledge and confess the right way, doctrine, truth and life, and walk blamelessly in Christ, before God and before all the world, all the days of their lives? O Lord, that it might be so. Amen.

See, most beloved reader, since the Babylonian king, namely, the antichrist, has through his servants—that is, through the false prophets and teachers—demolished disobedient Jerusalem, the temple of the Lord, and has so held Israel captive these many years, I and my brothers in the Lord desire nothing but this: that we may labor, to the honor of God and according to the talent we have received from him, at his fallen city, his temple and his captive people, so that with the word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may rebuild what is demolished, repair what is damaged and free those who are imprisoned, so that it may be as it was before the fall—that is, in the freedom of the Spirit, on the doctrine, sacraments, ceremonies, love and life of Jesus Christ and of his holy apostles.

For this reason I am not ashamed to write down, publish and loudly proclaim my faith, doctrine, seeking and desire before all people who will hear, no matter who they are. Indeed, I do not doubt that if those who now eagerly seek my life could see my inmost heart, they would turn their hatred of me and my brothers into love for us.

In the first place we desire, according to the word of God, that no bishop, pastor or teacher be admitted into the church of the Lord to teach and to administer the sacraments of the Lord except those who are included in the doctrine, ordinance and life of our Lord Jesus Christ—blameless in all things, First Timothy 3, verse 2; Titus 1, verse 6; Leviticus 21, verse 7; Ezekiel 44, verse 21. For the word of the Lord is truth, John 17, verse 17; it is Spirit and life, John 6, verse 63. Therefore it cannot be administered by the carnally minded, by children of death or by liars, but by the truthful, by the spiritually minded, and by those who rightly confess Christ Jesus, who surely feel eternal life in their hearts, and who live blamelessly before God and walk in Christ Jesus, so that they may truthfully say with Paul, “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,” First Corinthians 11, verse 1.

In the second place we desire with ardent hearts, even at the cost of life and blood, that the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and his apostles, which alone is the true doctrine and will remain so until Jesus Christ appears again in the clouds, may be taught and preached throughout all the world, as the Lord Jesus Christ commanded his disciples in his last moments on earth, Matthew 28, verse 19; Mark 16, verse 15.

In the third place we seek, teach and desire a true faith and a Christian life in keeping with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his apostles; for the preachers’ teaching is all vain and useless if the word that is preached is not accepted by faith, Hebrews 4, verse 2; and faith is vain and dead before God when it does not work by love, James 2, verse 20.

In the fourth place we teach, seek and desire a right, Christian baptism: first with the Spirit and fire, Luke 3, verse 16; afterward in water, in the obedience of faith. For so Christ Jesus has commanded all believers, and so the holy apostles taught and administered it, Matthew 28, verse 19; Mark 16, verse 15; Acts 2, verse 38; Acts 9, verse 5; Acts 16, verse 31; Acts 10, verse 47.

In the fifth place we teach, seek and desire such a Supper as Christ Jesus himself instituted and administered, Matthew 26, verse 19; Mark 14, verse 22; Luke 22, verse 19. First, to a church that is outwardly without spot or blemish, that is, without any considerable transgression and wickedness; for the church can judge only what is visible. But what is wicked inwardly and not outwardly apparent to the church, such as the betrayal of Judas, God is to judge, for he alone tries the hearts and reins, and not the church. Second, in both kinds, namely, bread and wine. Third, in remembrance of the Lord’s death. Fourth, as a renewal and proof of brotherly love, for among the ancients this supper was also called a brotherly supper, as Tertullian writes. [Note 1]

In the sixth place we seek and desire that all strange ceremonies and forms of worship which are without the word of God, or instituted contrary to it, and which tend to abominable idolatry—such as holy water, oral confession, infant baptism, masses, matins, vespers, images, altars, false promises and similar ceremonies—may be abolished, not by force of arms but peaceably, by the word of God, so that the poor, ignorant common people may no longer be deceived by such vain works, which are nothing short of idolatry, but may put their faith in the living God and in the merits of our ever blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and may walk wholeheartedly in his divine commandments, turning neither to the right nor to the left; for in him is everlasting life, John 12, verse 50, and in no other.

In the seventh place we seek, desire, teach and preach that all magistrates—emperors, kings, dukes, counts, barons, mayors, knights and other officers—may be so taught and trained by the Spirit and word of God that they may sincerely seek, honor, fear and serve Christ Jesus, the true head of all lords and potentates; that they may rightly administer their office and use the sword given them by God in his fear and in brotherly love, to the praise of God, the protection of the good and the punishment of the evil, according to the intent of the word of God, Romans 13, verse 3; First Peter 2, verse 13; as did the men of God, such as Moses, Joshua, David, Ezekiel, Josiah and others. Read also Deuteronomy 17, verses 2 and 3, and you will clearly understand what God has commanded all magistrates to do. [Note 2]

Besides this, we teach the true love and fear of God and the true love of our neighbor: to help and assist all people and to injure none; to crucify the flesh and its lusts; to circumcise the heart, the mouth and the whole body, with the knife of the divine word, from all unclean thoughts and unbecoming words and actions. Now consider whether these things are not the will of God, the true doctrine of Jesus Christ, the true ministering of the sacraments and the true life which is of God, even though all the gates of hell may willfully oppose them.

See, dear brothers, against this doctrine, these sacraments and this life no imperial decrees, no papal bulls, no councils of the learned, no long custom, no human philosophy, no Origen, Augustine, Luther or Bucer, no prison, banishment or murder can prevail; for it is the eternal, imperishable word of God. It is, I repeat, the eternal word of God, and it will remain unchangeable forever. Etiamsi rumpantur illa codro. Whoever still opposes and wars against these things, whether in his heart, with words or with the sword, does not war against flesh and blood, that is, against man; he wars against the Lamb, against him who has all power and who by a word created heaven and earth and all that fills them. Indeed, against him who lifts up his hand and says, “I live forever,” Deuteronomy 32, verse 40. [Note 3]

Since this is the true doctrine of Jesus Christ, which alone leads to eternal life, and since there is no other true doctrine besides it, the reader may ask me why so very few people sincerely believe it and fulfill it in works. In my opinion there are four reasons for this. First, because all lords, preachers and common people are carnally and earthly minded; therefore they cannot receive the lovely doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of eternal peace. Second, because they are drunk and full of the enchanting wine of the Babylonian whore, exceedingly rich and in need of nothing, Revelation 17, verse 2; Revelation 3, verse 17. Third, because they do not fear the terrible judgment and fearful wrath of God against all disobedience and transgression; indeed, they disregard the word of God so utterly, as if the Holy Spirit were merely jesting when he threatens temporal or eternal punishment. Fourth, because they do not acknowledge the great kindness of God toward them in Christ Jesus. For if they acknowledged the works of divine love toward them—namely, that God has created heaven and earth and all that fills them for their benefit; that he formed them in his own image from the dust of the earth; placed them at the head of all creation; gave them gold, silver, land, house and home and all the necessities of life; gave them his divine word, first the law of nature, then Moses and the prophets, and afterward his only begotten Son, his wisdom, his power, Christ Jesus, who taught them the will of his Father with great clearness; opened heaven and closed hell; vanquished death, sin and the devil for them; fulfilled the burdensome, threatening law on the cross, and won for them grace, favor, mercy, peace, freedom, deliverance, the remission of sins and eternal life with the Father, if they truly believe, seek and desire it; and that besides this he calls them daily to repentance, regeneration and the glory of the chosen children of God, desiring to draw them out of the darkness of the world and bring them into the kingdom of his beloved Son; that he does not let his righteous judgment come on them as it did on Sodom and Gomorrah; that he gives them day and night, sun and moon, rain and drought, and blesses them with wisdom and understanding, wife, children, cattle and crops—if they wholeheartedly acknowledged these rich gifts of his abundant grace, then all the tyrants under heaven could not separate them from the doctrine, love, sacraments, life and confession of Jesus Christ, even if it were possible for them to testify to it and affirm it by a thousand deaths. Indeed, they would say with the apostle Paul, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8, verse 35.

But because they do not acknowledge the God of all grace in his divine word, judgments and kindnesses, and do not acknowledge the Spirit, power, will and life that was in Christ Jesus, whom we should follow according to the word of God, they so wrongfully oppose and persecute the heavenly doctrine of Jesus Christ, and diligently follow, teach and protect all manner of falsehood, deceit, fraud and idolatry. Again I repeat: if they rightly acknowledged and believed the fatherly heart, mind and love, the protection, favor, will, care and affection of the Almighty God in Christ Jesus, they would doubtless accept his blessed word and admonition and wholeheartedly fulfill it. But they do not rightly acknowledge Christ Jesus and his Father. The Savior said, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” John 3, verses 16 to 19.

Take heed, O you miserable, erring people! For here the eternal wisdom of the blessed Christ Jesus has declared why you do not believe his precious word and do not fulfill his divine will: because you prefer the damnable darkness to the saving light. Indeed, I repeat that if you sincerely accepted and believed the divine goodness and mercy and the inexpressible love of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ toward you—namely, that out of his ardent love he became a humble, mortal man for you; came down from high heaven into these lower parts of the earth; taught and preached to you the eternal kingdom of God; performed miracles, prayed, suffered tribulation, anguish, arrest and prison; that he was beaten, mocked, derided, spit upon, scourged, crowned with thorns, given gall and vinegar to drink, blasphemed, crucified, and that he died and was buried for you; was raised up again, ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and that by his precious blood he became your faithful Servant, Reconciler, Deliverer, Mediator and Advocate; that out of love he sent to you and to the whole world his faithful servants, the holy apostles, with the word of grace—if you believed all this, you would doubtless love him who has shown you such great love and grace without any merit on your part. And if you returned the love with which he has loved you and still loves you, you would truly not tire of seeking and following him, so that you might live blamelessly according to his blessed will and walk all your life in his divine commandments, as he himself says, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me,” John 14, verse 21.

See, most beloved reader, in this way true faith, or true knowledge, begets love, and love begets obedience to the commandments of God. Therefore Christ Jesus says, “He who believes in him is not condemned.” And again in another place, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life,” John 5, verse 24. For true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot lie dormant, but shows itself in all righteousness and works of love. It dies to flesh and blood; destroys all forbidden lusts and desires; wholeheartedly seeks, serves and fears God; clothes the naked; feeds the hungry; comforts the afflicted; shelters the miserable; helps and comforts all the oppressed; returns good for evil; serves those who injure it; prays for those who persecute it; teaches, admonishes and reproves with the word of the Lord; seeks what is lost; binds up what is wounded; heals what is diseased and keeps what is sound. The persecution, suffering and anguish that come upon it for the sake of the truth of the Lord are to it a glorious joy and comfort.

All who have such a faith as is described here—namely, a faith that makes them desire to walk in the commandments of the Lord and to do the will of the Lord, and that shows itself in all righteousness, love and obedience—also acknowledge that the word and will of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ is true wisdom, truth and life, indeed, unchanging and unchangeable until Christ Jesus appears again in the clouds of heaven on the judgment day. They do not scoff at God’s word as if it were a vapor, as the ignorant world does, saying, “What good can water do me?” Instead they diligently try to obey the word of Jesus Christ in every particular, even at the risk of death according to the flesh.

See, beloved brothers, I speak frankly, with a certain and sure conviction—not by any revelation or heavenly inspiration, but by the express, definite word of the Lord—and from my inmost heart I am convinced that this doctrine is not our doctrine but the doctrine of him who sent us, that is, Christ Jesus. All who desire to do his will will acknowledge that this doctrine is of God, and that we do not preach our own opinions, dreams and visions. But by those who do not fear God, do not believe in Christ Jesus, who trample on his word and do not do his will, who love darkness rather than light—by those, all evangelical truth must be called damnable heresy and regarded and treated as deadly treason. Notwithstanding all this, the word of God shall remain unbroken until the judgment day.

Woe to such people! For on them the abundant gifts of grace are lost: the heavenly word of peace, the gentle admonitions, the hard and bitter labor, the precious treasure, which is the precious blood and bitter death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, woe, woe to them! For it can never be that we are saved without faith, love and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. I speak of those who have reached the age of understanding. Paul says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him (God),” Hebrews 11, verse 6. “He who does not believe is condemned,” John 3, verse 18.

The literal law of Moses could never be changed by the tyranny of princes, the shrewdness of the learned or the madness of the common people; nothing could be added to it or taken from it; it had to remain unchanged until the coming of Christ. And just as all who did not abide by that law were children of wrath and of death, so it is also today. If all the departed apostles were raised up and taught us differently from what they taught at the time of their ministry; and besides them Moses and the prophets, all the angels of heaven, and as many eloquent and wonder-working prophets as we have hairs on our heads; and if besides these all the princes roared like devouring lions and ravening wolves, and every learned tongue cut like a razor—it would still be impossible for those to be saved who do not abide by the wholesome doctrine, sacraments, obedience and life of Jesus Christ. Indeed, they are children of wrath, of the curse and of eternal death, as Christ himself says, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven,” Matthew 7, verse 21. In another place he says, “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” John 8, verses 31 and 32. From this the opposite follows, beloved brothers: if we do not abide in Christ’s word, we cannot be his disciples, and we do not acknowledge the truth; and if we do not acknowledge the truth, how then can we be made free by it? And if we are not freed by the truth, woe to us that we were ever born; for then we are still in sin, under the curse and wrath, children of hell, of the devil and of eternal death. O misery, misery! Fear with all your heart, faithful reader! For this will never be found to be otherwise.

If the bloodthirsty, tyrannical lords and princes had acknowledged this from the beginning, and would acknowledge it now—namely, that the word is eternal and will remain unchangeable, and that it cannot be changed by the most exalted of men—they would never have opposed and murdered those who profess the divine word as they have.

If the Roman bishop and his learned companions had taken this matter to heart, he would never have taken from Italy her emperor and from Christ Jesus his spiritual reign. Instead he would doubtless have said farewell to his worldly glory, pomp, luxury, idolatry, false doctrine, easy life, garbled sacraments, sodomitic uncleanness, councils, statutes and decrees, and would have contented himself with the unchangeable, heavenly doctrine of the only true Shepherd, Teacher and Bishop of our souls, Christ Jesus.

Since the whole burden of our salvation is included and contained in Christ Jesus and his holy word, and in no one else and in no other doctrine, I warn every God-fearing soul, by the word of God and out of nothing but brotherly love, not to be shaken and misled by the exalted position of men, or by old age, learning, eloquence, finely staged ceremonies, dreams, prophecies, visions, signs or trickery. For there can never be a wiser, truer, more diligent, more righteous, more God-pleasing, more blameless, more powerful, more perfect, higher or holier Prophet than the ever blessed Christ Jesus. Everything, too, has testified this of him, both in heaven and on earth. In the first place God testified it to Adam; afterward to Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zechariah and most of the prophets; to the angel Gabriel; to the angels at his birth; by the star of heaven; by the wise men from the east; by the learned at Jerusalem; by John the Baptist. Again, at his baptism, by the Father and the Holy Spirit; afterward by the multitudes and the devils; by the healings and the raising of the dead; by turning water into wine; by commanding the storm to cease; by the loaves, the fishes, the fig tree, and the children on Palm Sunday; at his death, by the murderer, the firmament of heaven, the whole earth, the curtains of the temple, the stones, the departed dead, and the centurion under the cross, Psalm 22, verse 7; Isaiah 53, verse 5; Daniel 9, verse 25. Tell me, what is there that has not testified to Christ Jesus? Indeed, he is the one, as he himself says, who after his resurrection ascended again to heaven, to whom all power in heaven and on earth is given by the Father, Matthew, chapter 28. Therefore it is just and right—indeed, it is absolutely required, if they do not want to be lost—that all magistrates bow under his scepter, all reason and shrewdness submit to his heavenly wisdom, all flesh lie at his blessed feet, and every tongue confess that he is the Lord, to the honor and praise of his Father. Therefore I pray all God-fearing readers in the Lord, by the merits of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the kingdom, the praise and the honor, not to regard me as anything higher than a mere, humble servant of Jesus Christ and a steward of his mysteries, according to the faith he has given me. I, miserable sinner that I am, because of the unclean, greedy, proud, vain, idolatrous and carnal life I formerly led, and because I still often sin and transgress before my God—I, who am not worthy to be the least servant in the house of my Lord! Yet by his grace I am what I am.

Brothers, I tell you the truth and do not lie. I am no Enoch, no Elias; I have no visions; I am no prophet who can teach and prophesy otherwise than is written in the word of God, and whoever tries to teach something else will soon miss the right way and be deceived in his learning. I trust that the merciful Father will keep me in his word, so that I shall write or speak nothing but what I can prove by Moses, the prophets, the evangelists or the other apostolic Scriptures and doctrines, explained in their true sense, Spirit and intent of Christ. You who are spiritually minded, judge. Again, I have no visions or angelic inspirations, nor do I desire any, lest I be deceived by them. The word of Christ alone is sufficient for me. If I do not follow his testimony, then truly all that I do is useless. And even if I had such visions and inspirations, which I do not, they would still have to agree with the word and Spirit of Christ, or else they would be mere fantasy, deceit and satanic temptation. For Paul says, “Let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith,” Romans 12, verse 6. Nor am I a third David, as some have falsely passed themselves off and still pass themselves off. There are only two Davids contained in the word of God: the first, the literal and figurative one, namely, the son of Jesse; and the second, the spiritual one, the only begotten Son of God, Christ Jesus. Whoever now passes himself off as the third is a falsifier and a blasphemer. Let every soul take heed, lest he err in his faith.

According to my first birth I am nothing but unclean slime and dust of the earth, conceived and born in sin from my mother’s womb and brought up all my life in all manner of ignorance, sin and blindness, until the clear light of grace and knowledge appeared to me from high heaven; and it has given me such a heart, will and desire that I willingly seek after what is good, and strive with holy Paul to “follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus,” Philippians 3, verse 12.

O most beloved reader, I repeat that I formerly acted shamefully against God and my neighbors; and I still sometimes think, speak and act recklessly, which, however, I sincerely repent of. What am I, that I should boast of, seek or teach anything other than the ever blessed Christ Jesus alone—his word, sacraments and obedience, and his God-pleasing, virtuous and blameless life? He is the only one of whom it is written that he was begotten of the Holy Spirit, that he knew no sin, that no guile was found in his mouth, and that his doctrine, word, will and commandments are eternal life, Matthew 1, verse 25; Luke 1, verse 31; First Peter 2, verse 22; Isaiah 53, verse 12.

Therefore take heed and save your soul. For every Christian must be so minded toward Christ Jesus, his Savior, and toward his holy word. Nor must he think himself more exalted, no matter what gifts he has received, if he would not rob Christ Jesus of his glory; but he must remain in a humble walk before God, in the right measure of his faith, as befits him in Christ. I advise all not to deceive themselves. Let spiritual pride and vain boasting be far from you, “For God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble,” First Peter 5, verse 5.

I daily see the perils that have surrounded us from the beginning, and see so many souls deceived by false prophecies, smooth words, seeming holiness, lying, trickery, boasting and the false promises of the antichristians and the false prophets, who are always intent on their own honor, fame and gain under a show of God’s word, as was the case with the popes of Rome, with John of Leyden, the Munsterites and others. Therefore I think it necessary and good to warn and admonish all beloved readers sincerely in the Lord not to accept my doctrine as the gospel of Jesus Christ until they have weighed it in the balance with the Spirit and word of God, so that they may not place their faith in me, or in any teacher or writer, but solely in Christ Jesus. For if they accepted it for my sake, and did not first compare it with the word of the Lord, and so depended on me or on any other man and not on Christ Jesus, they would be like the guilty Corinthians, whom Paul severely reproved because there were divisions among them: some were of Paul, some of Apollos, and not all of Christ Jesus, First Corinthians, chapter 1. They would be like those of whom it is written, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord,” Jeremiah 17, verse 5.