Answer to the

WARNING

To the

Members of the United Flemish, German,

Worthy and beloved in CHRIST, since a certain so-called Warning, made public through the Press and carried around among the Members, has come to our attention, we have, out of duty, been unable to refrain from making this answer and notification known to you.

When the friends say that the schism was initiated by us, etc., we deny this explicitly. For everyone can be well aware that they themselves—by teaching contentiously and pushing aside the order of our Congregation (as can be seen in the Copy of the resolution that was read to Dr. Galenus and his party), by forcibly introducing people as members of the Church Chamber, and otherwise—have notably divided the body of the Congregation. Furthermore, the schism that was already initiated by them, through the continuation of the separate Lord’s Supper (for which they had taken the resolution in spite of the Ministers and many Brothers), has been entirely confirmed and firmly established by them.

Furthermore, they say that splitting and separating is a work that is highly displeasing to God the Lord. We answer:

Firstly, that splitting and separating cannot be considered together in the same light. For we acknowledge that one splits, and does a work displeasing to God, when one is not, according to the testimony of the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1), joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Secondly, we wish the Friends would prove from the Holy Scripture what we deny: namely, that our actions can be called a separating that is highly displeasing to God the Lord. We only withdraw from them out of concern for our conscience and out of urgent necessity (without condemning or banning them), in order to exercise our worship in peace and unhindered. No new thing is being set up by us; we only request that those who are inclined to keep the Congregation in its doctrine and order would make their names known. If this, we say, is a work displeasing to God, then the Friends must firmly establish that they themselves, when they joined this Congregation (which they well knew formed one body through specific Articles of Faith and Order distinct from others), did or still do such a work displeasing to God if they maintain and uphold the aforementioned points. For how can they (who still pretend to be Ministers of the Congregation) otherwise understand having a duty to warn the Members against such a notification of their names, which only serves for the preservation of the unity in the Doctrine and Order of our Congregation; beyond which, we protest that we have nothing in mind.

We, therefore, neither splitting nor separating in an un-Christian manner, our actions cannot be called a public work of the flesh, nor can the entire sequence of serious consequences be attached to them.

Wherefore, we complain from the depths of our souls that we are accused of such a disgusting matter as un-Christian splitting and separating, without having proven the same beforehand, and we are placed under such heavy condemnation as is passed upon those who do a public work of the flesh (Galatians 5, verses 19-20): namely, that they shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

And whether the introduction of such novelties as mentioned above, and the discord and offense arising from them, could better be called such a work, we wish to leave to everyone (after having well examined everything) to consider in their prudent reflection: not so that they would also condemn the actions of the Friends (who warn so much against judging, and yet judge so heavily), but only so that everyone could see that such a heavy sentence may not be pronounced against us.

Furthermore, it cannot be said of our work that it tends toward the desecration of the Name of God, slander and disgrace of the Congregation, and to great offense and scandal of the World in general. For we, as we have said many times, have nothing in mind other than to preserve, uncorrupted and in times of pressure, the covenants of unity, namely the formulas. Through this, before the time when they fell into contempt and changes were introduced, the congregation grew in number of God-fearing members and in increase of Holy life. But since the aforementioned changes have occurred, who will deny that since that time, strife, faction, irreconcilable hatred, and aversion have been imprinted upon the spirits, which we fear will penetrate even into the bones of children and grandchildren, of which current experience, to our heartfelt sorrow, gives sufficient proof.

Regarding the cited passage from the Olive Branch Referring to a contemporary theological tract titled "Olijf-tak", we will answer it in detail shortly in our Answer to the Copy of the written proposal, which Dr. Galenus and others address on page 8.

The recommendation that the Friends add at the end, we wish to give them serious food for thought: that they should desist from the above-mentioned condemnations and look for means that might lead to mutual reconciliation and pacification. Since we yearn for nothing more than a peace pleasing to God, and on our side we have already, on several occasions, presented and offered various proposals to them, and in particular (as we still do) proposed to submit the decision of our disputes to outside parties.

Regarding the tolerance and love through which the Friends say they are inclined to replace the arisen differences, it will be spoken of and shown in the above-mentioned answer, in that it is in fact nothing other than the so-called Draft of Agreement, beyond which nothing has come to our attention until now: although the Friends pretend here to have already presented much.

Regarding their request to appear at the Ministers' Chamber, we also, in order to show that we were by no means reticent or averse to receiving and considering any means that could serve for pacification, committed some of our fellow Ministers to receive in writing from the hands of the Friends what they had to propose to them: but to this day (however earnestly and often we requested such, and indeed kindly begged), they have not chosen to do so. Therefore, we request all God-fearing and peace-loving Members that they do not judge us according to the condemnation that is made against us, since we neither un-Christianly split nor separate, but only withdraw from the Friends in the above-mentioned manner: and everything that we (maintaining the Peace of Christ) judged we could contribute to the Peace of the Congregation, we have contributed, and are still inclined to contribute. For which reason we also entirely kindly request that, if the Friends have something for our satisfaction, they kindly hand it to us in writing.

Amsterdam, by Johannes van Someren, Bookseller on the Dam, in Perkins. 1664.

On the Day of Prayer, the 19th of June, 1664

LIBRARY
OF THE
UNITED MENNONITE CONGREGATION
IN
AMSTERDAM