Reply to Martin Micron

“This is life eternal, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” John 17, verse 3.

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

To the well-disposed Reader:

It is manifest, honorable reader, that as Satan, the envier of the divine honor and of our salvation, at the beginning of creation used the serpent as an instrument to lead Adam and Eve off the way of life, and so to lead them into death, as he actually did, Genesis 3, verse 19, so he now uses his false authors and preachers to do the same. Some of them he clothes with an angelic appearance of innocence, through many garbled Scriptures, philosophy, sophistry and words of human wisdom, and through their leading a respectable private life; and by this he detains and ensnares the poor, bound souls in their great blindness and abominations, and by his many wiles robs them of their only means of salvation, which is Jesus Christ.

For the serpent said to Eve, “You shall not surely die.” So now our opponents say: Should Christ be the Son of God? No, he is not. The man Christ has no father — and like expressions. For from the beginning the devil neither did nor could confess the true faith in Christ Jesus, namely that we should acknowledge him to be the true Son of God, as may be plainly understood from First John 2, verse 22; First John 4, verse 3; Second John, verse 7. “Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God,” First John 4, verse 15. In short, he has life everlasting. Such people destroy the dominion of the devil and the kingdom of falsehood. Indeed, Christ himself had to suffer death because he confessed himself to be the Son of God, Matthew 26, verse 64; Mark 14, verse 62; John 5, verse 18; John 19, verse 7.

If Satan, then, did not confess such faith in the beginning, as we have heard, how shall he suffer it now, since by the righteous judgment of God, on account of sin, he has risen through antichrist and his servants to full dominion, and has bound all the earth by his deceitful doctrine, explanations, flatteries, statutes, commandments, idolatry, tyranny and violence?

We see clearly — since Christ Jesus by his grace has shown himself through the clouds, so that we, with Peter and with all the Scriptures, confess him in power and truth to be the Son of the true and living God, and submissively seal this faith with the sign of holy baptism according to his command, as did the Ethiopian, Acts 8, verse 36, because in our weakness we would walk according to his commandments and be saved by his grace — how terribly we are upbraided, slandered, lied about, cursed, persecuted and murdered on that account by this wicked, perverse, blind and carnal generation. For Satan never, from the beginning, confessed true faith in Christ Jesus, nor submissively sealed it by true baptism. Nor will he ever do so, to the end.

The Apollyon of the Revelation has so corrupted things by the locusts of the bottomless pit that only a little truth remains with men; for it is manifest that not only the Turks and the papists are hostile to the clearness of the most holy birth of Jesus Christ, in which true faith consists, and to the nature, power, fruit, impression and sealing of faith, but also those of whom we should expect better things, as may be seen from the writings of our opponents.

Oh! oh! how very little these poor children have and know of the kingdom of God and of the power of his holy word, although they may perhaps think that they understand a great deal. For it is very clear that an earthly, carnally minded heart, an ambitious, proud mind, a spiteful, envious person, and an untrue and false tongue are not of the good but of the evil one, First John 3, verse 8. That the writings of our opponents were prompted by an earthly, carnal, hateful and false heart; that they did not seek the glory, name and honor of God, but their own; and that they are partial and untruthful, can easily be deduced from the fact that from beginning to end they do not speak a kind word about me or our beloved brothers; that they are quite silent about the favor faithfully rendered them in their need, and do not once mention that they were so often silenced and could not offer any excuse (something which I do not mention to our honor, but to the praise of the Lord); also, that they did not touch at all in their writings on their confession which they made before us all, that woman has no seed, * * * by which, in fact, his whole cause was already lost; again, that there were two persons in Christ, and that the crucified one was not the Son of God — something which does not become an impartial writer who does not seek his own honor but sincerely seeks the honor of God; also, that they call me quite ignorant, indeed a cuckoo (as he also calls me) which always sings the same song, and he passes himself off as a spiritual master versed in Scripture, while before God and his angels and before all present it was actually found to be quite different, as by the grace of God will be found and clearly seen from my following writings, if they are judged according to the divine truth. Very little, alas, have they meditated on the Scripture of Paul which says that we should not be desirous of vain glory, Galatians 5, verse 26. Since they give such an untrue account of the discussion, and have so lamentably profaned the Father and his Son, and their precious, dear, powerful and true word, and all who confess them, as also our beloved brothers who daily and piously suffer and die for the sake of the Lord’s word, and who are slandered as if their whole life and death were nothing but madness, and their forsaking of possessions and kindred nothing but heresy — therefore I am impelled, as in duty bound, and for the love of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his holy church (not urged by wrath, for that I leave to him who in due time shall judge us all without respect of persons), faithfully and truthfully to note down all that Micron has willfully suppressed, to the dishonor of Christ and his holy word. Besides this, also how slanderously he has blasphemed the Father and the Son, the Word and its confessors, and how wrongfully he opposes our faith and doctrine concerning the incarnation of Christ, which is taught and testified throughout the Scriptures with incontrovertible power and clearness.

I therefore beseech all readers, for the Lord’s sake, to read through this my explanation with impartial hearts, to consider the foundation well, and to pray the Lord for grace and understanding. I trust that by the help of God I shall be able to show and explain it with such power and clearness of the holy Scriptures that it will be plainly seen that antichristian deceit is on the side of our opponents and the clear ground of truth on our side. Therefore I would have the judicial rule, Alteram partem audito, that is, hear the other party also, applied, and my writings compared with theirs, and that no one be misled through prejudice, as the partial are.

I also beseech you not to think hard of me for having to use such terms as seed of man, seed of woman, and so on. God knows how unwillingly I do so; but necessity forces me to use such terms, so that the glory of Christ Jesus may not be obscured with many, and the heavenly brightness of his most holy birth may not remain obscured by the antichristian flattery and sophistry of the breath of Micron.

I cannot sufficiently wonder at the man’s heart and mind, that he dares to publish such absurd fables to the world, and dares to show himself so ambitious and proud (something which, before God, I must deduce from his writings), since it will doubtless be read by many an intelligent person. For what else does he do all through his writings but exalt himself and trample me in the dust, as is the nature of all the ambitious? — something which I would not have written if it touched only me and not the honor of God — and this while so many God-fearing, pious men were present who heard the discussion from beginning to end. Yet besides this, it is well known, perhaps to thousands, as I suppose — to whom it is known through my printed writings, which are read daily here and there — that I have frequently asked for a public discussion, at the risk of being burned if I could not maintain my faith and doctrine by the Scriptures; but this, alas, has never been accepted.

If I were now so entirely ignorant as must be understood from his writing, it would be very strange that such a discussion should have been denied me so long, since by it he might have gained many a soul and redeemed many a child, if we were wrong; and since he might have won great fame and reputation, if he had been successful, among those of high standing and also among the whole world. But Micron has not yet forgotten how they fared with us, even though he wrote so sneeringly. If Micron and Herman had feared God as they pretend by their sheep’s clothing, they would not have acted as foolishly as they have done by their writings. But I presume that the one who urged Pharaoh to persecute Israel (even though he had seen such miracles in Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron), and who found his punishment in the Red Sea, Exodus 7, verse 25; Exodus 8, verse 2; Exodus 9, verse 6; Exodus 10, verse 14; Exodus 11, verse 5; Exodus 14, verse 28; who urged Antiochus to turn Jerusalem into a pit of death, and who met the punisher on his way — that this same one has urged Micron and Herman to write as they did, so that their covert hypocrisy, their many gross falsehoods, ambitious partiality (I call it as I judge them before the Lord), ingratitude, slander, adulteration and willful garbling of the holy, divine word, their corrupting flatteries, sophistical philosophy, miserable deceiving of the poor, despised souls, abominable antichristian doctrine, blasphemy of both the Father and his blessed Son, palpable blindness and vain, carnal hearts may for once be made manifest through this our explanation; and so that the hearts which are bound in their snares — through the falsehoods which they publish against us, through the fine appearance they put on, and through the garbled Scriptures which they teach with smooth, flattering words — may be unbound and delivered, to the glory of the Lord.

I do not know what else to say or think of the matter. For more than two years ago I warned him, through a man of considerable name who was one of his fellow believers, that if he put it in print (for I was told that he intended to do so) and did not tell the tale just as it truly happened — for I observed that he did not spare falsehood — I would reply to him, if I lived and the Lord granted it. But he was aware that if he did not tell it differently from the way it was, he would have gained little fame and honor with the world; for it would have sounded: Micron lost it all — something that conceited, proud flesh does not like to hear.

Yet I would never in my life have thought that he was of such an extremely ambitious, partial, untrue, infamous and shameless mind, if I had not been convinced of it in our discussion and by this writing of his. I thought that his intelligence would have told him, even without anyone’s warning, that if he did as he has done while I am still living, it would bring him nothing but shame and dishonor with all reasonable readers and hearers. But Micron had to speak, for his heart was full.

But perhaps he hoped or thought that I might die in the meantime, and that he might so gain fame and honor with the world, unrebuked. He was also aware that he could not offend the world, which gladly accepts and hears false consolations and slanders, by abusing me; for whoever can best lie about, defame, upbraid and paint me and my brothers in evil colors is, with them, a great prophet and a pleasing preacher. Let them run their course until the Lord hinders them! John says, “They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them,” First John 4, verse 5. If it is possible, may the beloved Lord grant them grace. Let the reader take due notice of the following reply, that he may learn to know Christ, do right, and be saved.

In the year 1553, a little before midwinter, it happened that the brothers were told that a shipload of people had arrived from Denmark who, on account of their faith, had been driven from England, and that they lay a short distance from the shore, frozen up in the ice.

When the brothers heard of this, they were moved with Christian mercy on their account, as was proper. They took counsel together and decided to lend them their help to get them out of the ice and to escort them properly to the city without any commotion, as they also did, although they supposed that it might cause trouble with their governments, as in fact it did.

They met them with wheat bread and wine, so that if there were any sick among them, they might refresh and revive them with it. And after they had escorted them into the city, they made a collection of twenty-four thalers out of their poverty and presented that sum to their leaders, to be distributed among the needy, if there were any among them. They refused the money and said they had enough, but would like work to be found for some of their number; in this our brothers helped them as much as they could.

One of our number offered to take the children of John A’Lasco into his house and to do the best he could for them. To this Herman Backereel answered: No, this cannot be granted; for John A’Lasco is a man who has dealings with lords, princes and other high personages. It might (oh, reader, observe!) injure his reputation if his children should stay with such people. On hearing this I observed that we had not met with the true, plain and humble pilgrims of Jesus Christ.

See, such was their arrival and reception among us, and such faithful love did our brothers show them; which, not long afterward, was taken quite amiss by ungrateful Herman, and, as appears, is not touched on in Micron’s account, merely out of hatred of the truth and ill will toward the brothers, lest piety should be ascribed to them.

After they had been a few days in the city, Herman and his followers called some of us together and asked for a discussion with them, and after many bold assertions he said to them, “I am a teacher, and would like to have a teacher set against me; for I have heard that Menno was to be in the city. Therefore I would have him or some other teacher discuss with me. For I have had discussions with hundreds of yours, and when they were vanquished they would invariably appeal to their teachers.” See, that is how he spoke! I might write a good deal here about his false pretensions and ambitious expressions; also about his infamous talk behind my back, and how he searched to see whether he could not find a splinter in me to magnify into a beam and tie on my back as a sign of shame; also how he questioned an unsuspecting child about my secret shelter, and so on. But since it cannot be of service to the reader, I will commend it to the Lord and leave Herman’s shame untouched, so that the reader may not think that I wish to repay evil with evil, from which may the Lord forever keep me. Yet it is my heart’s desire that he would be more truthful and more impartial of heart, and that he would fear the Lord his God more.

The discussion was agreed upon with Herman and his fellows on this condition: that they were to tell no one where the discussion took place (as I was a poor, weak man, hated by all the world). On this they, for their part, gave our brothers their hands that they would never tell it. But how they kept their word, their deeds have shown. For it was only a short time until it was known in the streets of Emden where Menno lived, and that Micron and his fellows had had a discussion with him. And besides, they have published it in print to all the world. Whether honorable, pious persons are not bound to respect their word and pledge (which all reasonable people consider the same as an oath) better than this, I will leave to the judgment of all readers, both those for me and those against me. But there are many who think that they cannot misuse us.

In the same way they have been ungrateful to the city which showed them more mercy than all Eastland and Denmark, when in midwinter they did not know where to find shelter; for with their unsalted, partial writings they have made the city suspected by lords, princes and other cities of harboring us, while the city knew no more of my staying there than they know of the hour of their death. [Note 1]

Lastly, they recorded the names of some good persons who had not deserved such treatment, so that they might be known in all the countries to which they might move. A reward of thousands has been offered for the arrest of one, with his little children, who rendered them such great services, if the Lord by his grace does not prevent it. If in all this they had now considered unfeigned, pure love (which wishes harm to no one, much less does it), common honesty, and their own word and honor — since such a course instructs no one on earth, nor makes anyone better in God, and looks more like the work of a traitor than of a pious man — then, in my opinion, the evangelical, Christian character, spirit, discipline and reasonableness would have been more consistent than it now is. The Lord’s word is true: the fruit shows what the tree is, Matthew 12, verse 33. See, this is how they have acted who pretend to be Christians and say that we are heretics; who call on God as their witness and judge that they have faithfully described the discussion, while they are well aware that the first sentence they wrote was a falsehood. And how entirely untrue it is will, by the grace of the Lord, be shown by self-evident truths from my following account of the discussion between Herman and myself.

It happened, when we met for the discussion, that I briefly admonished them concerning the suffering, oppression, tribulation, persecution and cross of the true Christians. To this he immediately answered: “That I wished to make his doctrine suspected.” Something I had not thought of in the least. I then stopped and said, Well, Herman, I suppose you would rather discuss the question of the incarnation? He answered yes. Then, I said, confess your faith. When he had made his confession, I said, Beloved Herman, take heed of your words. For see, all these inconsistencies follow from your belief. And I listed eight of them.

And see, when I had finished my discourse, there was one among them (J. M., whose name is frequently referred to in Micron’s writings) who asked me whether I could prove that to be so according to Scripture, thinking that I had spoken in this way about my own faith. I told him that he might ask Herman, since it was his faith and doctrine. On hearing this he dropped his head and was silent. Three times in a row I told him to get Herman to prove it to him according to the Scriptures. I have yet to receive his answer.

When I observed such partiality, I was very sorry. I said, Great God, are we to treat the word of the Lord in this way? O shame! When you thought it was my doctrine, you wanted Scripture; but now that you find it is the doctrine of Herman, you have Scripture enough! O friend, I said, repent and be ashamed before God; for you do not treat his word as becomes a true Christian. And this is one of the principal impartial witnesses, as Micron wrongfully boasts.

Afterward Herman replied and said, “I will scatter these inconsistencies as the wind scatters the dust.” Dear Herman, I said, do not speak so boldly; it does not become a Christian. I know you cannot do it. And, praise to the Lord for his grace, it has proved true to the present time, as I can plainly see from Micron’s Appendix, even though they have turned the matter over in their heads for more than two years.

The inconsistencies remained unanswered, and it was mostly conceding that could be heard from him. So at last I said, My dear sir, show me where you find it written that he took on himself our flesh or our human nature, as you claim. He then answered: Paul teaches us that Christ “took on him the form of a servant,” Philippians 2, verse 7.

When he had finished his discourse I asked him whether or not he agreed with John A’Lasco in doctrine. He answered yes. I replied: Well, A’Lasco has made an antithesis of this Scripture of Paul, “In the form of God” and “the form of a servant”: that as he was in a divine form and thereby was truly God, so he also took on himself our sinful form and was thereby truly made man; “but” (he says) “the sins on account of which we are called servants in Scripture, he did not have.”

From this antithesis one of two things must be true. Either, if he had the sinful form and not the sin, then by virtue of the antithesis he must also have had the divine form; but he did not have the divine form. Or, if he had the divine form and with it the divinity also, then he must also have had the sinful form and with it sin; otherwise the antithesis is false and cannot in fact stand. On this view of the matter one of two things is true: that Christ Jesus was either a sinner, or else he was not God. And how such doctrine agrees with the Scriptures I will leave to your own judgment. [Note 3]

Then he replied: “The Scriptures testify that he was without sin.” That is true, I said. Therefore it is manifest that this antithesis of A’Lasco is false, and that you cannot maintain your doctrine by this Scripture. But if the Scripture is to remain unbroken, then this is the true antithesis: that as Christ was in the form of God and was thereby truly God, so he humbled himself and did not take on himself the form of a potentate, emperor or king, whom we should serve, but the form of a poor servant, because he wanted to serve; for as he has been truly God in God and with God his Father from eternity, so in due time he became our true servant, Isaiah 7, verse 15; Isaiah 9, verse 5; Isaiah 40, verse 28; Jeremiah 23, verse 5; Jeremiah 33, verse 15; John 1, verse 2; Romans 9, verse 26; First John 5, verse 5; Matthew 12, verse 18; Matthew 20, verse 28.

He then abandoned that Scripture and said, “There is another one much plainer, which has it that,” “He has taken on him the seed of Abraham,” Hebrews 2, verse 16. Not so, Herman, I said. We should not adulterate the Scriptures in this way. For it does not read that he has taken on him the seed of Abraham, but it reads that he took it on himself. And this taking on shall last to the end. [Note 4]

He then took the words of the same chapter and said, “That Christ had taken on himself the children’s flesh and blood, and is therefore called our brother on account of the flesh.”

On hearing this I replied that this was again an adulteration of the Scriptures; for it is written that he took on himself flesh and blood, but not the flesh and blood of the children. Therefore let us get at the meaning of these words from the start, so that we do not adulterate the Scriptures. Paul says, “He that sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, are of one.” Now I ask, to whom does this refer? To God or to Adam? He replied: “To Adam.” Then it follows incontrovertibly, I said, that all the ungodly children of the devil, such as thieves, murderers, drunkards, haters, idolaters, whores and rogues, are Christ’s brothers and sisters. He frankly admitted that this was so.

It would further follow that if we were Christ’s brothers and sisters on account of the flesh, then we would also be his children on account of the flesh; for Paul says, “Behold, I and my children,” and so on. From this it would surely follow that the one brother had begotten the other, and the children their father, according to the flesh. And I will leave you to work out how such a begetting could be, according to the Scriptures and according to the ordinance of God.

After some other words had passed concerning the “partaking of,” I asked him whether Adam had not partaken of flesh and blood. He answered yes. Well, I said, of whose flesh and blood did he partake, if we are to understand partaking as you do? Therefore, beloved Herman, take heed. Your learned men deceive you. Paul says, “He that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope,” that is, that he may obtain what he hopes for. Again, in the same chapter: “If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather?” First Corinthians 9, verses 10 and 12; that is, if others have this power. Again, “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,” Hebrews 3, verse 14. Not that we partake partly, but wholly.

Therefore, beloved Herman, I warn you: let the Scripture remain Scripture, and do not garble it to suit your opinion. For Paul does not say that the unsanctified, such as liars, haters, the proud, adulterers and the children of the devil, are one with Christ our Savior, but that the sanctified are of one with him, that is, those who with him are born of the one God. On account of this birth of God, and not of Adam, we are his brothers; for those who are regenerated have one Father with him; as he is the first-begotten Son of God, so he is also the firstborn among many brothers, Hebrews 1, verse 6; Romans 8, verse 29.

Since holy Paul, then, teaches us that he is thus the first-begotten among the brothers, it is very plain that he is not our brother of Adam but of God; for he was not the first-begotten of Adam. Therefore Adam’s children must also become the children of God through regeneration by faith, John 1, verse 12, and so be Christ’s brothers, Matthew 12, verse 50; Mark 3, verse 35; Luke 8, verse 21; Hebrews 2, verse 11.

See, he is not ashamed to call such regenerated and sanctified ones his brothers, who have one Father with him (no whores, rogues and children of the devil), saying, Your name (he means his Father’s name, and not Adam’s) I will promulgate to my brothers. Again, I will trust in him (namely in the Father, and not in Adam). Again, behold, “I and the children which God (not Adam) has given me.” Since it is very plain that his children are not carnal but spiritual children (for he had no carnal children), then his brothers must be spiritual brothers; or else one Scripture must be understood spiritually and the other carnally, and then sister Mary must also have begotten her brother Christ in the flesh. This is incontrovertible.

Now although such regenerated and sanctified ones are his brothers and sisters, they still have, against their own will, communion with flesh and blood through the inherited sinful nature; they frequently sin, stumble and transgress, and so through this communion they are conscious of guilt according to the law, which requires perfect righteousness. And see, this is why he is their Savior, first-begotten Brother and Father, Christ, who likewise partook of flesh and blood — not of the children’s, for it does not read so, and in that case he must have been one of two sons, one of whom was of heaven, eternal and immortal, the other of earth and mortal — but the Word itself (I add some words for explanation) became flesh, that is, a mortal man, truly capable of suffering, in Mary, as John says, “The Word became flesh”; like his sanctified brothers in all things, except sin, so that he might fulfill the law in his innocent flesh and not through our guilty flesh; that he might take away the deserved death by his innocent death; destroy the devil who had the power of death; bruise the serpent’s head; sanctify us to God his Father by virtue of his precious blood; and help us in all our temptations and besetting sins, which come from our wicked flesh and the promptings of Satan. See, this is the proper explanation of Hebrews 2, verse 14. And with this explanation Christ remains the undivided Son of God, the Scripture remains unbroken, Christ remains the Sanctifier and we the sanctified. Brothers and children, there is not a single Scripture which contradicts this, while Herman’s confession and faith are very inconsistent, as has been heard. [Note 2]

When I again touched on the inconsistencies, he asked me to confess my faith as he had done his; and he would show, he said, more inconsistencies in my faith (although he had not yet heard it) than I had shown in his. And when I had made my confession, he said, “This is too long for me; I cannot reply to it.” I then made a brief statement. Yet no inconsistency was shown me.

See, worthy reader, these are the principal points and Scriptures which Herman and I discussed concerning the incarnation of Christ. I say the principal ones; for to repeat all the words which passed between us is impossible.

After the meal we came to the discussion of infant baptism, which he tried to justify by the assertion that the children, as he said, are counted as believing by the Scriptures, and that Zaccheus (he insisted on Zaccheus, even though I told him that it was not Zaccheus) and his whole house were baptized.

Kind reader, if I were to give an account of the discussion as it happened, it would seem to some readers as if I were partial; to others, who know me, it would seem very foolish of him to challenge us when he did not know more of Scripture. I told him twice, Dear Herman, you are too young; you will have to learn a great deal before you ought to try to defend your cause. What has become of all the bold assertions you made at the start? Yet Micron writes that some of their weak brothers were greatly strengthened by Herman during the discussion. I will leave the matter here. So they hoodwink the reader, so that he may not notice how childishly Herman acted, to their shame.

I know for certain that Micron was written to immediately after the discussion, as his own writing implies. For their brothers who were with us were in great need, inwardly and outwardly. What he means by “inwardly” I will leave the reader to judge.