Part II
Reply to Martin Micron: Forty-five Unscriptural Confessions
FORTY-FIVE UNSCRIPTURAL CONFESSIONS, EXPLANATIONS, FALSE GLOZINGS, ADULTERATED AND GARBLED SCRIPTURES, PRESENTED TO THE READER FOR THE EXPLANATION OF THE MATTER.
First. We do not read in the Scriptures that Mary, who was a natural daughter of the impure and sinful flesh of Adam, was without sin and pure, as Micron confessed before us all at the discussion; or:
Secondly. That such pure, innocent, spotless and blessed fruit as Christ Jesus was born of such impure, sinful flesh, guilty of death, as the flesh of Mary was, since she was a daughter of the impure seed of Adam, as Micron says; or:
Thirdly. That Adam had two seeds, of which the one was holy and pure, as Christ was, and the other sinful and impure, as we are, as must be concluded from the doctrine of Micron; or:
Fourthly. That Christ was born of the Father from eternity, and that he was seated separate from the Father, and outside of the Father, from eternity, as Micron and Herman confessed before us all; or:
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Eleventhly. That the Word, or the eternal Son of God, without mother (I write it according to their foundation), so united himself with a son of man, without father, that he accepted or took on the same, dwelt in it, and so became one person and son, as is the foundation and doctrine of our opponents; or:
Twelfthly. That there were two sons in Christ, as was heard, of which one was visible, capable of suffering, and earthly, the other invisible, incapable of suffering, and heavenly, as is the foundation and doctrine of our opponents; or:
Thirteenthly. That the divine nature so united itself with the human nature (by which he means two perfect sons) into one person, as he so often repeats; or:
Fourteenthly. That such a union of God’s Son and Mary’s son, as Micron says, should be compared to the union of the body and soul of man; or:
Fifteenthly. That such a divided, double, earthly and heavenly, righteous and unrighteous, pure and impure Christ was promised by the prophets and preached by the apostles, as Micron says without any truth; or:
Sixteenthly. That Christ was God and man in such a sense as Micron teaches; or:
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Eighteenthly. That the Son of God is called the son of man, and the son of man is called the Son of God, by reason of such a union, as our opponents assert without any Scripture; or:
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Twentieth. That the flesh of Christ was sinful and guilty of death, as John A’Lasco (with whom Micron agrees) blasphemously teaches; or:
Twenty-first. That the Word, which from the beginning was God, so took its tabernacle, tent or dwelling in our flesh, as John A’Lasco philosophizes; or:
Twenty-second. That the Son of God so covered his divinity with humanity as long as he was on earth, as John A’Lasco writes; or:
Twenty-third. That the one who had transgressed also had to make amends for it in his own nature, as is the foundation of our opponents; or:
Twenty-fourth. That the Son of God fulfilled the law and reconciled the Father in our flesh, as is the foundation of our opponents; or:
Twenty-fifth. That we could not have partaken, to our salvation, of his heavenly and spiritual attributes, such as his life, holiness, righteousness, merits and so on, if Christ had not had our human nature, form and substance, as Micron writes; or:
Twenty-sixth. That the son of man, who is confessed to be the Son of God by Peter, by John the Baptist, by the angel and by all the Scriptures, said in any part of Scripture: No, I am not the Son of God, but he who dwells in me, whom you do not see, is the Son of God, and for his sake I am called his Son, as is the doctrine of our opponents; or:
Twenty-seventh. That the angel Gabriel told Mary that such a divided son would be conceived in her, Luke 2, verse 28, as Micron garbles it; or:
Twenty-eighth. That Christ Jesus was not God’s Son according to his most holy humanity, as well as according to his eternal divinity, as our opponents teach; or:
Twenty-ninth. That the man Christ was of earth, and was called heavenly only on account of some honorable attributes, as Micron writes; or:
Thirtieth. That the flesh and blood of the seed of Adam, which our opponents say the flesh of Christ is, is the true bread of life on account of some divine attributes, as they garble the word of Christ, John 6, verse 51; or:
Thirty-first. That Abraham and Isaac were called the autores, or origin, in the Scriptures, so that it should not be attributed to strange men, as Micron says without the Scriptures; or:
Thirty-second. That Christ took on himself our sinful form, as John A’Lasco says, Philippians 2, verse 7; or:
Thirty-third. That Christ took on himself the seed of Abraham, as Micron garbles the text of Hebrews 2, verse 16; or:
Thirty-fourth. That Christ partook of the flesh and blood of the children by generation, as our opponents garble or falsely explain the text, Hebrews 2, verse 14; or:
Thirty-fifth. That God was manifested in our flesh, as our opponents explain the Scripture of Paul, Second Timothy 3, verse 5; or:
Thirty-sixth. That Christ dwelt in our flesh by generation, as our opponents explain First John 2, verse 4; or:
Thirty-seventh. That we are to compare the purity of the most holy flesh of Christ with the cleanness of the animals which were declared clean, as Micron did with Acts 10, verse 15; or:
Thirty-eighth. That the most holy flesh of Christ Jesus was flesh of our impure, sinful flesh, as our opponents make the poor people believe; or:
Thirty-ninth. That Christ would be the Immanuel in our flesh, as our opponents claim; or:
Fortieth. That Christ and we are brothers on account of the flesh, as Micron teaches the unrepentant, ignorant world without the truth; or:
Forty-first. That the children of the devil, such as liars, haters, murderers, adulterers of the Scriptures, blasphemers and so on, are Christ’s brothers and sisters as well as the children of God, as we must conclude from the teachings of our opponents; or:
Forty-second. That the Son of God united himself with human nature, that is, with a man of the flesh of Mary, and that he ascended with such flesh, as Micron unscripturally garbles Ephesians 4, verse 10; or:
Forty-third. That our flesh is seated at the right hand of the Father, as is the doctrine of our opponents; or:
Forty-fourth. That Christ is our Head, and we his body, members and brothers, on account of the flesh, as we must understand it from the teachings and foundation of our opponents; or:
Forty-fifth. That a man of the impure, sinful seed of Adam is our Advocate, Mediator, Reconciler and High Priest with God the Father, and that with him we should worship, honor and serve him as the true and living God, as our opponents teach.
CONCLUSION.
Here, kind reader, observe that the whole foundation and belief of our opponents concerning this article is built on mere fleshly wisdom, philosophy, explanation, glosses, adulteration and garbled Scriptures, by which they make it appear as if their antichristian doctrine were the doctrine of the Son of God, and by which they cause themselves to be called the true teachers, and us the deceivers, by the world, which, alas, is little versed in divine matters. But how they will stand at the coming of Christ, before his impartial judgment seat, I fear most of them will find out too late.
By the grace of the Lord, I will now point out to you the inconsistencies that must follow from their doctrine and faith, so clearly that you can see that their doctrine is not from the Fountain of eternal Wisdom, as Micron dares to boast without any truth, but that it is breathed up out of the abyss by the locusts of Apollyon. Take heed.
FOURTEEN INCONSISTENCIES, WHICH MUST RESULT AND FOLLOW FROM THE FOUNDATION AND DOCTRINE OF OUR OPPONENTS.
First, it follows beyond dispute from their doctrine and faith that there are two sons in Christ, of which one was the eternal Son of God, incapable of suffering, without mother, and the other the son of Mary, or the son of man, without father. Whether or not such doctrine and faith is an inconsistency, I will leave you to judge according to the Scriptures.
Secondly, it follows beyond dispute that there are two persons in Christ; for where there are two actual sons there must be two persons. Or else the one must have taken the other to himself, and by the fictitious union quite absorbed the other. Whether this may not be called an inconsistency, you may judge according to the Scriptures.
Thirdly, it follows beyond dispute that the eating, drinking, sighing, weeping, suffering, dying and crucified Christ Jesus was not the Son of God, even though all the Scriptures confess him to be the first and only begotten, own Son of God; for they say that he had no Father. You may judge by the Scriptures whether this may not be called a blasphemous inconsistency and a denial of the Son of God.
Fourthly, it follows beyond dispute that they utter a falsehood as often as they call the man Christ the Son of God. For how can he be a Son of God according to their doctrine, when they publicly write and confess by word of mouth that he was not of God but of Mary? You may judge according to the Scriptures whether this is not a blasphemous inconsistency, which does not fit the true God, who deals according to truth and does not use idle names.
Fifthly, it follows beyond dispute that it is a divided Christ who became a Savior, and Jesus Christ, made of God and man, of the heavenly and earthly, of the pure and impure, of the righteous and unrighteous, of the good and evil, and of the blessed and accursed, as was heard above. You may judge by the Scriptures whether this may not also rightly be called an inconsistency.
Sixthly, it follows beyond dispute that the eternal atoning offering, once offered for all the world, is not the spotless lamb which the Scriptures confess him to be, but an impure, sinful and accursed man of the impure, sinful and accursed flesh and seed of Adam. You may judge by the Scriptures whether this is not an abominable, blasphemous inconsistency.
Seventhly, it follows beyond dispute that, since the holy apostle Thomas confessed the crucified, visible Christ to be his Lord and God, and since all Scripture testifies that he is our Reconciler, Mediator, Advocate, High Priest, Savior and Deliverer, then, if he were a man of Adam’s impure seed, as our opponents assert, it is clear that an earthly, impure, sinful and accursed creature, of the earthly, impure, sinful and accursed flesh of Adam, is our Reconciler, Mediator, Advocate, High Priest, Savior, Deliverer, Lord and God. You may judge by the Scriptures whether this may not also be called a blasphemous inconsistency and an antichristian abomination.
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Tenthly, it follows beyond dispute that if the man Christ were of the unclean, sinful flesh of Adam, as is the foundation of our opponents, then one of two things must be true: either the Scriptures do not rightly teach us, or all are idolaters who worship, honor, thank and serve such an earthly, sinful and accursed Christ as our opponents teach and advocate without the Scriptures. For they say, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve,” Matthew 4, verse 10; Deuteronomy 6, verse 13. The prophet also says, I will give my praise to no other. And it is clear that one does not worship our Savior Christ any less than the Father himself. You may judge according to the Scriptures whether this is not also an idolatrous inconsistency and an infamous blasphemy.
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Twelfthly, it follows beyond dispute, if I understand Micron’s writing, that the eternal Word became the spirit of a man, and that it only took on itself a tabernacle of Mary’s flesh. For, as I think, he cites Peter for this purpose, and says he was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, First Peter 3, verse 18.
If he understands the Spirit of Christ to be the Spirit which he commended to the Father, and also to be the immortal Son of God with which, according to his doctrine, he was united, then Peter did not write enough by merely saying “quickened by the Spirit,” and not “and also by the immortal Son of God, with which he was united.” Note what I say.
And if he understands it as referring solely to the Spirit of Christ, and not also to the immortal Son, as he confesses him to be, then according to his doctrine the Son of God must have become the spirit of a man; or else I do not know for what purpose he brings forward this Scripture. You may judge by it whether this is not an abominable inconsistency and a blindfolding of the poor, ignorant world.
Thirteenthly, it follows beyond dispute, if the doctrine of the learned is right, that the almighty Word, with which heaven and earth are filled, must have united itself with such a small body of the flesh of Mary, and so sighed, wept, ate, drank, suffered and died with it, and lay dead in the grave; or else it must merely have sheltered in Christ’s spirit, and so at death departed with it, and at the resurrection united with it again, the second time, Wisdom of Solomon 18, verse 15. You may judge by the Scriptures whether this may not rightly be called a strange inconsistency.
Fourteenthly, it follows beyond dispute that if the Word, or the eternal Son of God, so took on himself such a man of Mary’s flesh and blood, and united himself with it into one person and son, as our opponents pretend by their philosophy, then God the Father was not the true Father of Christ, Mary not the true mother, Christ not a true Son; and all the Scriptures are thereby denied which confess Christ to be the first and only begotten, true Son of God, without any distinction between divine and human, between spirit and flesh, invisible and visible, immortal and mortal, as we have clearly explained above, and shall explain still further below, by the power of the word of the Lord. You may, in the fear of God, judge by the Scriptures whether this cannot rightly be called a blasphemous inconsistency and a direct denial of both Father and Son.
See, chosen readers, it is such an unscriptural, divided, unclean, sinful and earthly Savior and Christ that our opponents teach and point to by their antichristian, covert, garbled, mysterious and obscure reasonings of human wisdom. I place the mirror of their deceit before you in plain and clear words. If you will, you may clearly see how lamentably you are deceived by them.
Since, then, their doctrine and faith is in fact nothing but antichristian deceit and the temptation of the old serpent (for whatever we read or hear from them is all taking on, uniting two into one, divine and human nature, honorable virtues and the like, of which we find nothing in Scripture), and since they make these assertions and adorn them with many broken Scriptures, glosses and false explanations, therefore I say, first, in Micron’s own language, that all they philosophize and teach avails us nothing, since it is not according to Scripture. And secondly, in the language of holy Paul, it is anathema, since it is a strange gospel of which not a single word is taught in the Scriptures, neither by the prophets, nor by Christ, nor by any of his apostles, in such a sense as our opponents teach it. Take heed.
By the grace of the Lord, we will now set before you, in the first place, the foundation of the confession and doctrine of our opponents concerning this article, together with its proper contents, fruits, end and promise; and in the second place, the foundation of our confession, together with its proper contents, fruits, end and promise; so that by such a comparison in black and white you may the more readily guard against the deceit of the old serpent, and find the sure and firm foundation of truth, and believe and follow it with a sure conscience, without any fear.
THE FOUNDATION AND FAITH OF OUR OPPONENTS CONCERNING CHRIST JESUS, TOGETHER WITH THEIR PROPER CONTENTS, FRUITS, ENDS, AND PROMISE.
Honorable reader, take heed. The following is the whole contents, conclusion, sense, explanation, foundation and meaning of the faith and doctrine of our opponents concerning the incarnation of our Lord, by which, through their human wisdom and the cunning of the old serpent, they proclaim that all the glorious promises concerning Christ, the Son of God, contained in Moses and the prophets, such as grace, mercy, the forgiveness of our sins, peace of conscience, reconciliation and eternal life, are contained in the unclean, sinful flesh of Adam, which they call clean although they confess, without any Scripture, that it is of him.
They confess publicly (their own confession is witness) that there are two Sons in Christ: the one the Son of God, from everlasting, without mother, and incapable of suffering; and the other the son of Mary, or the son of man, without father, and capable of suffering. These two sons, they say (but without Scripture), are united into one, so that the man Christ, who visibly walked, ate, drank, sighed, wept and hung on the cross, and who cried to his Father, “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit,” and who lay in the tomb three days, was not the Son of God.
They make the Holy of holies, the ever blessed Christ Jesus, a sinful and accursed man [one of their number asks publicly: If Christ was holy, why was he sentenced to death by the judgment of the Father, on account of sin?], and say that he partook of sinful flesh so that he might be tempted and be subject to, or guilty of, death. They place their salvation in an earthly, sinful creature of the unclean, sinful seed of Adam, and make Christ Jesus not only of the sinful and accursed flesh of Adam, Abraham and David, but also a gentile of the gentiles: namely, a Syrian of the daughters of Bethuel and Laban, Genesis, chapter 24; Genesis 29, verse 18; a Canaanite of Rahab, a Moabite of Ruth, Matthew 1, verse 5; and an Ammonite of the mother of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, First Kings 14, verse 21.
They make a creature of the unclean, sinful flesh and seed of Adam their mercy seat and sin offering, their High Priest, Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor and Reconciler, and falsely call him the Son of God. I say falsely, for they publicly confess that he had no father. They call him their Lord and God, yet they say and write that he is of earth and not of heaven. They worship, honor and serve him as they do the Father himself. Oh, abomination!
They garble and break the Scriptures, because they do not believe the testimony of John that the Word was made flesh. They adulterate the plain confession of the angel of God, of the Father and of the Son himself, of John the Baptist, of Peter and of all the apostles, of Paul, and of all the Scriptures, which unanimously testify that the conceived, born, suffering, whole Christ, outwardly and inwardly, visible and invisible, is the inseparable, first and only begotten Son of God.
They break and contradict the whole gospel and the precious epistle of John, in which he testifies more than sixty times that Christ confessed himself to be the Son of God and confessed God to be his Father; and also, frequently, that he went forth from the Father, that he was sent, and that he came from heaven.
They garble and profane the Holy Scriptures quite lamentably, and heap one abominable flattery and fictitious explanation on another. Christ, they say, has taken on himself our human nature from Mary; then there are two sons and natures combined into one person and Son. Now the Son of God has put on the flesh and blood of Mary, dwelt in it, and placed his tabernacle or tent in it.
One of their learned men writes, “That the Son of God has brought all his attributes to the son of man.” Another writes, “That the man Christ was God’s adoptivus filius, that is, the adopted and well-pleasing Son of God.” Still another, “That the one nature in Christ was entirely divine, and the other half divine and half human.” Some write, “That the divine nature also suffered.” Others write and say, “That he suffered only in his human nature and not in his divine nature.” Micron says, “That Mary’s blood became our flesh in her; that Christ’s flesh is of our flesh; and that, although he is of earth and of Adam’s seed, he is still called heavenly on account of certain virtues”; and other like accursed words and self-conceited glosses and abominations, of which not a word is found in the Scriptures.
Is it not a pity, indeed, a horrible thing, to wade in such pure, clear waters with such filthy feet, and so to darken the precious and bright sun of righteousness with such hellish smoke of the antichristian doctrine? Revelation 9, verse 2. And that for no other reason than that they do not trust the testimony of John and of the angel, do not believe the almighty power of the Father, judge everything according to nature and not according to the Scriptures, and attribute more to Mary than belongs to a true mother according to the ordinance and word of the Lord.
From this it follows beyond dispute, and it is clear according to the doctrine and testimony of John, that they, alas, have neither the Father nor the Son: “Whoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father,” First John 2, verse 23; that the wrath of God abides on them, and that they shall not see life, for they do not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God; that they must die in their sins, for they do not believe that it is he, John 8, verse 24; that they do not overcome the world, that they are not in God, nor God in them, for they do not confess that Jesus is the Son of God, First John 4, verse 3. Oh, how well it would be if these poor people would take heed, rightly confess Christ, the Son of God, and give him his due praise and honor!
OUR DOCTRINE AND FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, TOGETHER WITH THEIR PROPER CONTENTS, FRUITS, END, AND PROMISE.
Our foundation and faith is, and that according to the Scriptures, in power and truth, that the whole Christ Jesus, visible and invisible, outwardly and inwardly, mortal and immortal, is the first and only begotten Son of God, Hebrews 1, verse 6; John 1, verse 14; John 3, verse 18; First John 4, verse 10, as the angel, John the Baptist, the apostles and all the Scriptures confess him to be. He is the ineffable, eternal Word, by which all things are created, which came from heaven in a way no one can express, and by the power of the Holy Spirit he became man in Mary, the virgin, who was betrothed to a man of the house and line of David named Joseph, above all human understanding; and according to this flesh he was begotten in her, and in due time born of her, one undivided person, Son and Christ: God’s true and natural Son by virtue of his origin, and Mary’s supernatural son by virtue of his conception. I say supernatural, for it was not brought about by the will of man. He was promised to be born of the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David, as also happened; and by reason of his mother, Joseph’s wife, he is also called in the Scriptures the righteous branch of David, a rod out of the stem of Jesse, the fruit of the loins of David, foreshadowed by the literal Solomon. He is the Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, our Immanuel, our God, The Lord Our Righteousness, The Wisdom of God, the Lord of David, the Strong and Mighty God, who in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens; our new and spiritual Solomon, seated on the new spiritual throne in the new and spiritual kingdom and reign of David; God’s true Son, I say, by reason of his Father; Abraham’s and David’s son by reason of his mother; one undivided Son of God and Mary; gone forth from the Father, come down from heaven, conceived in Mary, born of her, a true man, like us poor children of Adam in all things except sin. He hungered and ate, thirsted and drank, grew tired and rested; he was made in the likeness of men; he has fulfilled the law for us; he sought the lost sheep, taught the kingdom of God, and confirmed his sending by miracles; and at last he died the bitter death, innocently, for us who were guilty (when we were still ungodly and enemies). So he has bought, sanctified and cleansed us by his own blood, and not by the blood of another; he has reconciled us with God our Father, indeed, made us kings and priests; he was delivered and raised from the bonds of death, and ascended to his Father, where he was before; and by his precious, innocent blood he became our only and eternal High Priest, Intercessor, Mediator, Advocate and Reconciler with God his Father. He is our Lord and God, whom we in our weakness should honor and praise for his ineffable love and merits, even as we honor the Father himself, Genesis 1, verse 1; Psalm 33, verse 6; John 1, verse 3; John 3, verse 13; John 8, verse 23; John 16, verse 28; First Corinthians 15, verse 47; Ephesians 4, verse 10; Matthew 1, verse 20; Luke 1, verse 23; John 1, verse 14; Romans 1, verse 3; Galatians 4, verse 4; Luke 1, verse 30; Genesis 12, verse 3; Genesis 18, verse 18; Genesis 22, verse 18; Genesis 26, verse 4; Genesis 28, verse 14; Genesis 49, verse 10; Second Samuel 7, verse 12; Romans 1, verse 3; Romans 9, verse 5; Matthew 1, verse 18; Luke 2, verse 7; Luke 3, verse 23; Second Timothy 2, verse 8; Jeremiah 23, verse 6; Jeremiah 33, verse 16; Isaiah 11, verse 1; First Kings 5, verse 5; Psalm 89, verse 37; Matthew 1, verse 16; Luke 3, verse 23; Acts 2, verse 30; Isaiah 9, verse 6; Isaiah 7, verse 14; Matthew 1, verse 23; Isaiah 40, verse 3; Jeremiah 23, verse 6; Jeremiah 33, verse 16; Proverbs 8, verse 12; Baruch 3, verse 36; Psalm 110, verse 1; Psalm 24, verse 8; Hebrews 1, verse 10; Isaiah 9, verse 5; Luke 1, verse 28; John 16, verse 28; John 6, verse 32; Ephesians 4, verse 10; Matthew 1, verse 18; Luke 1, verse 31; John 1, verse 14; Luke 2, verse 7; Galatians 4, verse 4; Hebrews 2, verse 14; Hebrews 4, verse 15; John 4, verse 6; Philippians 2, verse 7; Matthew 5, verse 17; Romans 8, verse 3; Ephesians 2, verse 13; Colossians 2, verse 13; Ezekiel 34, verse 23; Matthew 18, verse 11; Matthew 4, verse 17; John 2, verse 11; Romans 5, verse 8; First John 1, verse 7; First Peter 1, verse 19; Hebrews 9, verse 12; Ephesians 2, verse 15; Colossians 1, verse 20; First Peter 2, verse 9; Revelation 1, verse 6; Revelation 5, verse 10; Matthew 28, verse 6; Mark 16, verse 6; Luke 24, verse 6; John, chapter 20; Ephesians 1, verse 20; Mark 16, verse 19; Acts, chapter 1; John 6, verse 62; Romans 3, verse 25; Hebrews 3, verse 1; Hebrews 5, verse 1; Hebrews 6, verse 20; Hebrews 7, verse 24; Hebrews 8, verse 1; Hebrews 9, verse 11; Hebrews 10, verse 11; Romans 8, verse 27; Hebrews 7, verse 25; First Timothy 2, verse 5; First John 2, verse 1; Hebrews 9, verse 11; Hebrews 12, verse 24; John 20, verse 28; John 5, verse 22.
We confess and believe that, as the almighty, eternal Father, out of pure grace and love, in the beginning created Adam and Eve through Christ, his almighty, eternal Word, Genesis 1, verse 27, so now also, out of pure love and grace, he has raised them and all their seed again (since they fell) by the same Word, now made flesh by his almighty power, and has accepted them again as his children, John 1, verse 14; so that we may give the eternal honor and praise to God for his grace, through his Word or Son, and not to the sinful flesh of Adam, of which they are.
And see, such a confession concerning this matter leaves the whole Scriptures unbroken and unchanged. No inconsistent flattery and no adulterated Scripture is found in it, as is, alas, the case with the confession of our opponents.
The almighty, eternal God alone keeps his glory and honor, through his Word or Son. The Father remains the true Father of the whole Christ, the mother the true mother, and the Son the true Son of both his Father and his mother; a Son who is from above and not from beneath, who is from heaven and not of earth; pure, of the pure God; one only Son and person; the Potentate and Lord of heaven and earth; the Savior of all the world, in whom all the present and future promises are fulfilled, and by whom they are given and received. Eternal praise be to his adorable, glorious and exalted name. Amen.
All those who can firmly believe in this way this miraculously high work of the ineffable, great love of God, and who can confess with Peter and all the Scriptures that Christ Jesus is the true Son of the true and living God, have both the Father and the Son, First John 2, verse 23. They overcome the world; they are in God, and God is in them, First John 4, verse 15; they are freed from the wrath of God, and have eternal life. They acknowledge the severe justice and the deserved curse which came upon Adam and all his descendants through Adam’s disobedience; therefore they fear God, bury their sins and turn from evil. They also acknowledge the inexpressible love of God, so richly shown to us in Christ Jesus; they enter into newness of life with Christ, Romans 6, verse 4; they believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God, John 3, verse 18.
Honorable reader, take heed. I warn you in sincere and faithful love, for it is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. If you are not quite blinded, you must see the deceit of Micron from these “Thirty-one differences,” “Forty-five unscriptural confessions, explanations, fictitious glosses, adulterated and garbled Scriptures,” and these “Fourteen unanswerable, blasphemous inconsistencies.” And you must see that his inconsistencies, together with the foundation of their confessions concerning this matter, which I have faithfully and plainly set forth, are nothing but the antichristian deceit of the old serpent; and that our foundation and faith, on account of which we must, alas, hear and suffer so much, is the firm, unchangeable, invincible rock and stone of the eternal truth, which the holy apostles and prophets, together with all the pious witnesses of God in the early, uncorrupted church, before the man of sin entered and was seated in the temple of God (he who cannot bear this foundation, as may be seen in First John 2, verse 22; First John 4, verse 3; Second John 1, verse 7), confessed with us.
Not a single Scripture is adulterated or broken by us. We make use of no glosses. No inconsistency results. It is the plain Scripture and its foundation that we present to the reader, as you may feel and see.
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