Reply to Zylis and Lemmekes, Part 2

Again I ask: if one of your number had such a spouse that he would have to renounce his faith, or could not abide in it, would he, or should he, go on living with such a spouse? Jeremiah 17, verse 5. If you answer yes, you thereby plainly testify that such perverse and ungodly flesh counts for more with you than Christ Jesus himself, together with his kingdom, truth, word, promise, blood and death, and besides these your faith, anointing, love and the salvation of your souls. If you answer no, I say again that in this matter, without any previous adultery or fornication, you are no less divorcers than we are. Mark this.

Thirdly I answer: if this our doctrine must be called divorce by you, then it is evident that holy Paul was no less a divorcer than we are, for he says, “But if she departs, let her remain unmarried (observe, he openly admits separation), or be reconciled to her husband,” First Corinthians 7, verse 11. Paul also allows such separation when it is for their betterment, if they remain unmarried, as is also our doctrine; and so you yourselves (if the above is your answer) are no less divorcers than we are, as was shown in the two articles above. Therefore I would have you consider in the fear of God what kind of spirit it is that moves you to use such slanderous, cunning words as divorcers, book of fables, heresy and so on. Venom is deadly and gall is bitter, but much more poisonous and bitter is the tongue which is charged and laden with partiality and hatred. O, mind this, James 3, verses 5 to 10.

But as to the example mentioned before, this is our answer: first, that all who make such claims show by them that they do not believe the Scriptures of the apostles concerning the ban and shunning, nor understand the reasons, usefulness and effects of the ban, and, alas, have but little regard for the explicit commandments concerning outward, bodily shunning.

Again, concerning the opinion that a doctrine without an example cannot stand in the church of Christ, which seems to be your ground, we say that in that case we are all badly mistaken, both you and we; because we allow our women to come to the Lord’s Supper, of which not a syllable is to be found in the Scriptures. But if you should say that our women are believers and therefore should be admitted to the Supper along with the believing men, I would answer in the same way: since the pious spouse is a believer, he should shun his apostate wife according to the common rule of Scripture, together with all other believers, without exception. Whoever is intelligent will judge and consider the inference.

In the fifth place, I understand that Lemmekes has boasted that he is going to refute more than half of the books. To this I briefly reply: to promise mountains of gold and not have sandhills to give is called boasting by the world; therefore it would be well not to boast of more than we have Scripture and talent for. But whoever will refute it must first establish the following ten articles by virtue of the Word.

First, that the first table of the commandments in Christ’s kingdom and reign must give way to the second. Mark.

Secondly, that the Scripture teaches two bans or shunnings. Mark.

Thirdly, that there can be a scriptural ban without the shunning. Mark.

Fourthly, that the deadly disease of corruption cannot leaven or make unclean the husband and wife when they do not shun each other. Mark.

Fifthly, that it is not required of the pious spouse to seek earnestly the reformation and repentance of the impious spouse according to the counsel, doctrine and commandments of the Holy Scripture. Mark.

Sixthly, that the pious spouse is not bound to agree to the separation of his impious spouse. Mark.

Seventhly, that the carnal ban and love must be preferred to the spiritual ban and love. Mark.

Eighthly, that the marriage with Christ in the Spirit must give way to the marriage consummated in the human flesh. Mark.

Ninthly, that the Holy Spirit has taught exceptions or respect of persons concerning the ban or shunning in the Scripture. Mark.

Tenthly, that the spouse is not subject to the explicit commandments concerning outward or bodily shunning. Mark.

See, dear Lemmekes, whenever you or any of your followers dissolve or untie this knot by virtue of the Scriptures, then we will consider the matter further.

But we know that no man, no matter who he is, can ever do so by virtue of the truth, and of this we are certain before the Lord; therefore we let men slander and boast as much as they please. Firm and unchangeable the doctrine remains, namely, that all pious husbands and wives, as also the church, are bound to shun their impious spouses according to the common rule, doctrine and command of the Holy Scriptures, as has been frequently shown by virtue of the holy Word. Whoever seeks and loves the truth may ponder what we say and consider the meaning of the Scriptures.

In the sixth place, I understand that Lemmekes is said to have said that if we were of one mind on the article concerning husband and wife, there would still be three or four articles on which we could not agree. To this I would say that I would like him to put these articles and points of difference in writing and send them to me. If you have the truth on your side and we do not, then by the grace of God I for my part will say yes with you. But still I would warn you not to call what is right and pure wrong and impure, nor what is wrong and impure right and pure; not to loose what the Scripture binds, nor to bind what it makes free, as some, alas, are in the habit of doing; so that not our self-chosen righteousness, nor human propositions and holiness, but the word of God alone may be our guide and way. In love, take heed.

In the seventh place, I understand that Lemmekes also said that I first came to the Franekers and their followers and agreed with them, but was afterward instructed by the brothers and remained with them. To this I reply truthfully to you and to all who believe your untrue story, as follows: when I was in conversation with the Franekers, I asked them in a brotherly way whether they had any further dealings with carnal transgressors after the third admonition. To this they answered no. Then I said (after a few words concerning secret sins), If that is your doctrine, we will not remain divided. Then they thanked the Lord, as if we were quite of one mind on the matter. Observing this, I said, Not so, brothers; but I will also talk to the others and see what grace the Lord will give. That this is true I can prove by our beloved brother Nette Lippes, and it is also known to the all-knowing Lord, whose hand and judgment I cannot escape if I lie and do not speak the truth.

Afterwards I came to them and talked with them, and received full satisfaction (praise the Lord for his grace) concerning secret sinning, at which my heart rejoiced more than I can write. I no longer doubted in the least that the matter would come to a good result, until the time when the Franekers came and showed that they did not abide by their understanding concerning carnal works, as they had confessed to me. This caused me sorrow as bitter as death. In my affliction I did not know what to do; for there is nothing on earth I love more than the Lord’s church. But as it is, I see that the leavening spirit of the false parties has leavened many. Indeed, had not the gracious breath of the Almighty saved me, I would probably have lost my mind. In short, the Franekers would not unite before they had first consulted Henry Naeldeman. In the course of time Henry came to us, and in love we informed him that we were not the kind who judge offensive transgressors in that way, but that according to the word we could not do the will of God by retaining those whom his Spirit and Word exclude. He was so startled that he said openly before us all that he had never in his life taken the matter to heart in that way, hoping to bring the Franekers onto a better footing. I then left the country. Not long afterward he sent for me again. He had studied the matter over, and all that we had built up before with the Lord’s word was broken down again in the poor man. Indeed, it is known to me and to the Lord how unstable and childish he showed himself once or twice within a short time concerning the matter of husband and wife. His own handwriting shall be my evidence for this statement.

See, dear men, here you have the outline of our dealings in this matter, for which you so very partially dare to revile me; and I state it with a good conscience before the eyes of the Lord. If you had acted wisely in this matter and had not lent your ears to the backbiting of the unpeaceable members of the sectarian parties, you would never have offended against me with such gross falsehood and slander. Paul rightly said, “That a little leaven leavens the whole lump,” First Corinthians 5, verse 6.

In the eighth place, I understand that Lemmekes spreads it abroad that I am supposed to have said to him that the people build on me and look to me so much that I am afraid the Lord will yet cause me to stumble, so that they will no longer look to me or to any other man. To this I reply, first: if I should now or at any time say to Lemmekes or anyone else, The people build on me and look to me, then my own mouth would convict me of being like a fool who is quick to praise himself. I trust that not only the word of the Lord but also common sense will teach me better. But I have experienced more than once in my time that the spirit of Diotrephes is not yet dead, Third John, verse 9; it generally clothes itself in a sheepskin, sighing and complaining, saying, Oh, oh! The people build on Menno and look to him too much, by which hearts are turned away from love. Therefore I have said, not once but perhaps ten times: if the unversed should build on me and look to me in that way, then my desire is that the Lord would cause me to stumble, but not take his grace from me altogether, so that they might learn not to build their foundation, hope and consolation on me, but solely on the living cornerstone, Christ Jesus. He who has the bride, says John, is the bridegroom; and that is Christ Jesus, who according to the will of his Father (to his honor) has called us in his eternal love and married us by faith in his death and blood; and not Menno or Lemmekes. Oh, that they would not twist my words, and would tell nothing but the truth, which stands before God.

Secondly I answer: if you turn to shame in this way my godly words, by which I seek only the praise and honor of my Redeemer, which I had not expected, then I desire that you point out my error to me in love according to the truth. For although I am a poor sinner who is at times mastered by his flesh, I still thank God for his grace that to this day he has kept his poor, weak servant without any considerable offense, both in doctrine and in life. But if your sight is so weak and dim that you call it stumbling that I teach according to the Holy Scriptures that we should shun offensive transgressors until they repent; or that the ban should be used without respect of persons; or that I am always ready to accept better instruction from God, or admonition and doctrine from his Holy Spirit, as I have done regarding the doctrine of carnal abominations, then I may well console myself that the holy apostles are no less stumblers in this matter than I am. For before God I know nothing other than that I teach the essence of their word unadulterated and walk in the footsteps of their spirit, as far as I have received grace and strength from my God. O, how very carnal, unintelligent, blind and perverse is the judgment of a person who, before his God, is led away by partiality and envy! If you fear God, then heed what I tell you, James 3, verses 2 and 17; First Corinthians 2, verse 4.

In the ninth place, I understand that you slander and revile our brothers in Friesland not a little. To this I briefly reply: it is not necessary for me to be the brothers’ advocate, since the merciful Lord has not denied them his grace, Spirit and gifts. Yet for my part I would say that the worldly privileges state, or imply, that we should give both sides a hearing. We also read of Alexander the Great that when one party or side brought a complaint to him in the absence of the other side or party, he would stop one ear so as to give the other side a hearing with it. Since such great decency was found among the Gentiles, and since it is the common usage in all matters and governments not to judge until a hearing has been granted, you have acted very unscripturally and unreasonably, not only in giving the one party a hearing (and that the party which was separated from the church on account of its contention), but also in accepting them as your beloved brothers, while you reject the other party, to the great shame of you and your counselors; and in refusing to give them a spoken explanation and hearing, although they desired it so often and in so brotherly a way. At this unreasonableness, unwillingness and childish ignorance we cannot wonder enough. We are of the opinion that such a thing was never heard of among people who seemed to fear God. Yet you proceed on the strength of what the partisans say, with intolerable lying and suspicions, without any certainty about the matter; and by this violence and wrongdoing you take from us what, I fear, you can never restore to us. But if you had given both parties a reasonable and Christian hearing, you might (if you had the gift) have passed a just sentence between them, and so have sought unity and peace between them, according to the intent of the holy word. But now you have shown yourselves to all people. Since you see that with your unscriptural ban, which you and your followers have now used these many years, you cannot stand before the sharpness of the Holy Spirit of Christ and of his strong word, you seek to assert and maintain as much as you can, not the desirable unity and peace, nor the unfaltering, abiding truth which is of God, but your own ignorant opinion and carnal intentions, by wrong and violence, dissension, partiality, slander and defamation. You should know, however, that it is not such wrong and violence as you commit that is to be the judgment and decision in this matter, but that the Holy Spirit and word of Christ Jesus are to decide it. In love, take heed.

In the tenth place, I understand that Lemmekes said, “That he would rather be banned by our elders than agree with them.” To this I answer that one of two things is shown to be true by his words: either he does not know what the ban really is, or else the elders are such abominable people that they are not worthy of the church. For all the world I would not pass such a sentence. Even if these elders were such evil people as his words imply, why be so unreasonable (since it is his office) as not to show his brotherly love by pointing out to them, according to the Scriptures, their errors and abominations, which he so abhors, since it becomes him before God and his church to seek their salvation in love? But I presume that you feared the sharpness of the truth, and were therefore afraid to face them. O, that you would hear the voice of the Lord and not harden your hearts while it is still today.

Lastly, I must also remind you that you came to us in the year 1556, just before May, and that we had a conference of two days in the fear of our God. Indeed, it was such a conference that Lemmekes, on the morning of his departure, openly confessed before me that he quite agreed with us, although he was not quite satisfied in the matter of husband and wife; but since he had not confessed this before the brothers, he had come here so that he and they would come to us; and since he had now opened his heart before all, his word would count for little afterward. And he wished to treat further with you on the way, Exodus 17, verse 2; Galatians 6, verse 2; John 3, verse 29. See, such were his pretenses. Besides this he said, If the Upperlanders will not agree, and Zylis and Henry remain with them, I will (he said) go over to the Netherlanders.

Again he said, There are some strangers at Weert who would gladly come under the Word of the Lord; and he asked, To whom shall I take them? To Zylis or to the Netherlanders? Besides this he asked me, when we had the consent or dissent of Zylis, to send one or two faithful brothers to his assistance, so that the ban and shunning might be introduced into his church in this way. Dear friends, that he agreed with us in this way he confessed not only before me, but also before our beloved brothers Herman of T. and John S. And what has become of all these words and promises? Were they not all vain wind and falsehood? You must answer yes. And yet you do not want it said at Cologne and in that region that you had agreed with us in this way. The most lamentable thing of all is that what he then confessed to be good and right he now calls heresy and deceit. Whether such an inconsistent person cannot justly be called an apostate I will here leave to the judgment of all reasonable and intelligent readers. Zylis and Henry wanted to consider the matter and put it before the Upperlanders; they sent a written message, but whether or not you showed it to the elders of your church I do not know. Lemmekes has written, Yes. And the brothers write, No; and it is said that Zylis said, No. Their answers contradict each other.

In short, at last, after long delay and waiting, we received an answer from you and the Upperlanders: that we should not push the ban to its utmost, for it would have to be broken, and that there were as many Scriptures concerning marriage as for the ban and shunning. See, this was the instruction of scriptural argument, by which he puts aside all the apostolic Scriptures on this matter and rejects them as useless.

If I do not write the truth, I am willing to bear my punishment. In my opinion it has come so far with you that before God I do not know who could ever agree with you. For first you agreed with us; afterward you dissented without our knowledge and joined the Upperlanders. Observe: Lemmekes agreed with us, but that same summer he turned his back on us and agreed with them again. Observe again: those who were separated on account of their dissension and shamefulness you accepted again as your brothers.

Observe, thirdly: you despised our elders and church, answered their request very unfriendly and sneeringly, and said that you had not come on their account.

Fourthly, observe: you believed the spirit of the restless partisans behind our backs.

Fifthly, observe: you lie about, revile, backbite, slander and accuse me and my beloved brothers without any truth; while I for my part have never said an unfriendly word about you, as God is my witness, but have always shown regard for your well-being, until this hour of your unbearable action.

Sixthly, mark: you reject the plain word of the holy apostles regarding the ban and shunning. Seventhly, mark: you uphold many light-minded, carnal babblers. Eighthly, mark: you encourage many restless, unpeaceable dissenters and quarrelers.

Ninthly, mark: you afflict many, indeed thousands, of faithful hearts who sincerely seek God and his sure truth. Tenthly, mark: you hinder many pious children who would gladly obey the word of the Lord in this regard and so save their souls.

Eleventhly, observe: you beget many defamers, liars, profaners and revilers. In short, you have brewed such beer that, if the Lord does not save you by his mercy, I fear you will yet stumble over the heaped pot. For beware: if you again renounce the Upperlanders, and also those to whom you, alas, have now given the hand of brotherhood, they will not paint you in very pleasing colors.

And even if you remain with them, all intelligent persons must confess that in this matter you build your faith with a sectarian spirit on vain self-conceit, opinion, flesh and man, and not on the firm rock and foundation of the divine word. If you change your doctrine, which you have so long wrongly practiced and taught in your church, then you will have to hear that you are miserable teachers, that you have deceived many souls, and that you do not know the light of truth.

But if you do not, you make it plain that you do not seek and uphold the souls or the salvation of the church, nor the word of God, but only your own honor and flesh.

If, too, you acknowledge that through partisanship you have wrongfully defamed me, a cry will go up against you from the pious that you have defamed the reputation of your brothers without cause, not as faithful servants of Christ but rather as envious defamers.

If you do not acknowledge it, nor do such penance as can avail before God, then the just sentence of his unchangeable word will be upon you, that is, that defamers, backbiters, slanderers and liars have no portion in the kingdom of God and Christ. O, awful is the sentence! Woe to those on whom it falls! Reflect on it, I beg you, with fear, trembling and shaking, Second Peter 2, verse 18; Jude, verse 10; Romans 1, verse 30.

See, dear, chosen men, how perilously you are sailing! You are like a ship that is tossed about between two rocks: if she avoids the one, she will run upon the other. Therefore take heed. Take heed, so that you may prevent the eternal shipwreck of your poor souls, and yet arrive in the haven of eternal peace with the Most High. Amen. Amen.

This, now, is the proper content, conclusion, intent and meaning of my writing to you and yours. First, that you may see the abomination of your actions in this clear mirror, turn from evil, come before the Lord with a contrite heart and sincerely pray for his grace. Secondly, that the simple also, and those of little understanding who in this respect are held captive by you, may taste and see from it that you have fed and filled them not with the bread of their heavenly Father, but with mere swill and chaff and human self-conceit.

Thirdly, that you may know that I and the pious who are with me dare not, in the fear of our God, be your brothers, so long as there are not found among you such doctrine, obedience, confession, reconciliation and repentance as will satisfy the church of the Lord and be pleasing to him.

This is written in sorrow. If you fear God, then take heed and reflect. The God of all grace and the Holy Spirit of peace and of the love of Christ grant you grace to read it with impartial hearts, and may it be to your service. Amen. Amen. Amen.

By Menno Simon, who loves your souls according to the truth.

January 23rd, 1559.