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

rs’ residence [Hermann, who severed all ties with the church and later initiated the ‘Breadbreaker’ Church, cf #119], in order to acquaint ourselves more fully with his position .... We greeted him with the words: ‘Peace be with you!’ but received the harsh reply, ‘There is no peace! Peace, peace where there is no peace; Christ came not to bring peace but the sword and division.’ We replied, 'But not between children of God?’ He responded, ‘You are no children of God; rather you are scribes and pharisees to whom it is said, “Woe, Woe.” You strain at gnats and swallow camels, you lead souls to destruction, you are arrogant ones, novices, and chatterers, who distort God’s Word, have no faith, no peace, and no salvation.’ He considered himself fortunate that he was free from that devil’s crowd in which he had lain bound and oppressed. He hoped that the Lord would keep him from falling away from his present condition again. Br. Claassen had brought them together with diseased [scabby] sheep, but the Lord had again led his own forth, and if we would not turn away from our error, we would perish. We were among those who bypassed love and mercy, and went about destroying individuals. And other s imilar expressions. We told him that he was condemning himself and speaking his own judgment; then we left. The door had barely closed behind us when they began singing loudly in order to still their accusing consciences. Saddened by such an event, we went to our brothers and sisters, related how we had been received by Peters, and exhorted them to remain in the love of the Lord. . . .” [The two itinerant preachers had many s imilar experiences with the followers of Peters. Regarding one such occasion they wrote], “. . . After further questioning it became obvious that he had come to a clear understanding with the tambourine and was inclined to it. . . .” [After being treated in a similar way on another occasion, the travellers concluded], “that to do and to practice are more blessed than to speak much about laws and commandments and not to practice those things, (2) Retrospect and Prospect 453 as we have experienced so frequently from those who accuse us of lovelessness and mercilessness, we have been very harshly accused by them without demonstration of love. No man of the world has treated us as they did, and that because of their obsession with the tambourine and similar things . . . p) ‘‘[From Steinfeld to] . . . Steinbach at Nikolai Schmidts [at that time associate leader in the ‘Temple Church’; cf. above, ‘Brotherhood’ and ‘Brotherhood School,’ #51 and #52]. ... In the evening we had an edifying discussion regarding God’s mercy to us poor sinners .... N. Schmidt took us to Elizabethtal to Br. Klaassen’s .... After breakfast Br. Franz Janzen (Pordenau) demonstrated his love and took us to Franztal to Mr. Braun (an old brother who was a follower of Wuest but had not left the church). He had long awaited ou