perform strange worship, despise the Lord, your God, cast his word aside, spill innocent blood, walk according to your wantonness, sin against God, and walk not according to his law, ordinance and commands, as the mouth of the Lord has commanded you. Again, as the unprofitable and rebellious world are warned and rebuked against their will, the prophets (Jer. 30, 36,) and the true servants of God, are judged and destroyed by the princes and magistracy, as seditious mutinists, and are persecuted by the priests and common people, as deceivers and heretics. (Jer. 39.) Therefore, our expectation is both to teach and to suffer. We judge rightly, that it will not happen better to us than it did to them, but we say with Ezekiel : That when this shall come to pass, then shall you find that the undissembled, pure word of the Lord, had been taught to you. (Ezek. 33.) The merciful, gracious father, through his loving Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord, grant to you all, the gift and grace of his Holy Spirit, that you may hear and read these our christian labors and service of true love, with such hearts, that you may follow after the pure, undissembled truth, and be eternally happy, Amen. Dear, worthy lords, grant to your poor servants, that we may fear the Lord from the heart, and preach God's word, and do aright. This we pray you for Jesus' sake. O Lord! Father of all grace, open the eyes of the blind, that they may see thy way, word, truth and will, and walk therein with faithful hearts, Amen, amen, Lord Jesus. OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN FAITH, WHICH CONVERTS, CHANGES, RENEWS, MAKES PIOUS, UPRIGHT, PEACEABLE, JOYFUL AND BLESSED THE HUMAN HEART; WITH ITS PROPERTIES, NATURE, OPERATION AND POWERS. CAREFULLY RE-EXAMINED AND PRESENTED MORE FORMALLY IN THE YEAR 1556. BY MENNO SIMON. He that believeth in me (said Christ) though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. (John 11.) For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3.) OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN FAITH. We wish all the chosen children of God, our beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, an increase of faith, grace, peace and spiritual joy, perfect righteousness, and eternal life, all which is of God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, our Lord, who loved ve, and washed us from our sins in his blood :—to him be praise, honor, glory, the kingdom, power and majesty, from eternity to eternity, Amen. CHOSEN, beloved children, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, although, O God! we are so violently prevented by the irrational blind world, from preaching the true gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to every one verbally; and the revengeful, bloodthirsty,encouraged by your useless, wicked priests and preachers, are so imprudently against Christ and his word; for they (the poor children) seek and love rather more the dross than the gold, the chaff rather than the wheat, and lies rather than truth, and darkness rather than light. Nevertheless, God's eternal, invincible truth, which always triumphs in the true children of God, through the Holy Ghost, will be crowned notwithstanding it has been so miserably stung in the heel, by the conquered serpent and his seed, such as the proud despisers, liars and blood-shedders, and that they with much difficulty can be in obedience to their Lord Jesus Christ. Notwithstanding they do behave abominably, the envious bloody seed of the serpent, with bruised head must lie powerless and be under their feet, as those who are wholly Q |