O it is better to leave flesh and blood at the stake, than to suffer one’s self to be despoiled of the eternal salvation of one’s soul, of one’s Father’s inheritance which is obtained through Christ. Hence Paul says: Who can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus? tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness? We may say with the apostle, that we are persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Rom. 8:17,35. Let us then not fear, since, my dearest, there is nothing that can separate us from God, if we love him from the heart, for John says: where love is there is no fear; for love casteth out fear. 1 John 4:18. This you may also perceive by the words of Paul, where he says: Though I had faith, so that I could remove mountains; yea, though I gave all my goods to the poor, and suffered my body to be burned, and had not love, it would profit me nothing. 1 Cor. 13:2,3. Hence there must be a burning love to Christ, we must with the wise virgins have our lamps burning, and so wait for our Bridegroom, that is we must be kindled with a fervent love, and thus wait for Christ Jesus our Bridegroom, till he comes.
Behold, hereby we are to know who loves Christ, for he says: “He that loveth me keepeth my commandments, and the Father will come to him, and we will make our abode with him.” John 14:23. But without loving Christ, and keeping his commandments, we cannot enter into life. For he says himself: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep my commandments.” Matt. 19:17. And what is his commandment, but to love him; and he that loves him will not depart from him because of any pain that may be inflicted upon the flesh, as I stated before with the words of Paul which he wrote to the Romans. But if a man do not love Christ, there is vain faith, which cannot please God, for Paul says: This is true faith, which worketh by love, that is, by the love which one has to God to keep his commandments; hence James says, that faith without works is dead. James 2:26. And this can easily be perceived; where there is true faith, there will also good fruits appear, for a good tree will bring forth good fruits, but of a corrupt tree evil fruit will spring forth; for a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit; so it is also with man; he that has a true faith will bring forth good fruits that are pleasing to the Lord. Matt. 7:17,18.
But where there is a faith that is vain and not true, there you will not perceive good fruits, but all evil, for James says that the devils also believe and tremble. James 2:19.
Now it may be considered how many there are that have also a vain faith, and yet boast that they believe truly, yea, even these papists, they can say: I believe in Christ Jesus, that he died, was crucified, etc, but they deprive him of his honor; to be brief, they do not obey him in that which he commands, they do after the lusts of their father, the devil. Christ says: for he was a liar and deceiver from the beginning. John 8:44.
O how dreadful it is, that some hearken to such liars and deceivers, and confess the devilish doctrine to be the doctrine, word and truth of Christ, whereas God says by the prophet: Cursed is he that maketh and honoreth idols. O what are they also doing, who say that the true body of Christ is in the little house with which they walk along the streets, with their bells, torches, and lanterns. O what abomination it is to call this the truth, while it is but bread and wine. While I am here, my mother, I sometimes sing a spiritual song; but though they forbid it me, I will therefore not cease, as long as they do not fetter my tongue; yea, if I or some of Menno’s people sing, then the servants sing a profane song, so that the good may not be heard.