THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

at reconciliation on both the religious and civil level failed time and again because of Enns’ hot-tempered outbursts.] d) “Then the time arrived when God wanted to separate us; for to this point we had still participated in the communion service. Through Documentary Supplement 129 the power of God I still clung to that which he had given me, though I was nearly totally confused in regard to many other matters. For it is not within the power of man to leave a church when he cannot find sanctuary in another; his pride will not allow it. As Menno Simons says, nothing displeases Satan more than to see people leave the [false] church, take the exercise of discipline, by means of the ban and in accordance with the Word of God, seriously, and confess His Word before men. . . . For I know what it has cost me both here and in Prussia. Read John 12:42. But once we began to stay away from communion, we severed our relations with the church completely. Thereupon Jakob Enns called a meeting of the ministers and elders of the old colony [Chortitza] where we were asked whether or not we wished to give in. But when we refused to concede anything, Johann Wiebe [the Chortitza elder] took us aside and confronted us with a number of issues. When even this had no effect upon us, we returned to the larger meeting where Johann Wiebe said the following to the two of us [Reimer’s supporter was a minister by the name of Cornelius Janzen]: According to the Scripture you men are quite right, but we cannot follow it in this manner. One thing I want to tell you, however, if you persist in this attitude it may well happen that you will be sent to Siberia. I tell you this in order that it will not appear strange to you later on. 0, what a heart-rending pityl For, instead of saying: According to God’s Word you are right; stand firm so no one may rob you of your crown, Rev. 3, he wanted to use Siberia to frighten us. From this it is apparent to what extent their teachers were non-resistant Christians; for false teachers have always treated right- thinking Christians in this manner, attempting to persuade them with such remonstrances. And when all of this failed, these false teachers tortured the others with bonds and imprisonment to the point of death, as would have happened here had God not intervened in a remarkable way. [Later, Klaas Wiens, a former colony administrator and now member of the colonial administration in Ekaterinoslav— the “Comptoir”; afterwards, when it had been moved to Odessa, the “Supervisory Commis- sion”— crushed the serious danger which was threatening Reimer and his comrade because of Enns' hostile representatives, by an honest and impartial presentation, whereupon the board sent a stern reprimand to Enns. Heinrich Janzen, Schoenwiese, the Frisian elder of the Kronsweide Church, baptized the candidates they brought him in 1814. . . .] e) “After a while he [Janzen] came and administered the Lord’s Supp