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

luation of Wuest, up to \ . . shall remain blest’], c) But if the reporting ‘brother from St. Petersburg’ says that ‘through the richly blessed work of Pastor Wuest in the many German colonies on the Sea of Azov, active spiritual life was awakened, to which especially the glorious mission festivals conducted in Wuest ’s church contributed,’ it might appear to the reader as though neither an active religious life was to be found nor glorious mission festivals celebrated in the many German colonies on the Sea of Azov prior to that time. If that was really the intended meaning, then for the sake of truth, it must be declared that such an assertion would be an untruth. In fact, several years before Pastor Wuest’s arrival, here as well as in the Mennonite Church in Gnadenfeld under the administration of my highly respected predecessors, and also in the church at Rudnerweide (likely during the time of Franz Goerz, Sr.), and in the Separatist Church at the Sea of Azov, there had been meetings, and at least at the first-mentioned place also well-attended missions festivals. That in itself undeniably justifies the conclusion that even at that time here and there a rich life must have existed according to Matthew 7:16-20. [We have dealt with this above; the ‘brother from St. Petersburg’ in the Friedensglocke was probably Forchhammer who knew nothing about the earlier conditions among the Mennonites and who ascribed all spiritual life to Wuest.] d) And further, if the reporter from St. Petersburg presents the case as though the people who have left the church here were the real and genuine spiritual children as well as adherents of Pastor Wuest, and were persecuted primarily because of this, then that, too, is such a gross defamation of the deceased, who, of course, can no longer defend himself against the insult inflicted on him, and I was astonished when I read this impudent distortion, as everybody here knows, e) The simple truth about the origin and development of the sect which the St. Petersburg reporter defends so warmly, in short, is as follows: The so-called believers or brethren felt insufficiently satisfied by the regular sermons in Sunday and holiday worship-services and organized meetings among themselves in which every member of the congregation, 154 regardless of age or sex, as an equally qualified priest anointed with the Holy Spirit, explained the Scriptures and prayed aloud. With this arrangement they naturally progressed rapidly in the knowledge, and particularly in the exploitation, of the scriptural teaching of the free grace of God in Christ, so that they soon left Pastor Wuest far behind. And when their efforts to drag Pastor Wuest along with them remained fruitless; when Pastor Wuest did not hesitate, even, to admonish them according to God’s Word in regard to their false teaching and begged them to turn from their arrogant way, to be ashamed of it before God, and to humble themselves, they tu