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The Protestant Reformation, while eliminating some Roman Catholic dogmas and abuses in the areas it came to control, was a failure from a biblical point of view -- The 'new' churches -- Lutheran, Calvinist, Zwinglian -- retained far more unscriptural doctrines than they rejected. It was this fact, and their desire for political power, which led really determined Bible students and seekers towards the movement spearheaded by the Brethren in Christ. Langenmantel, in a typically vigorous exhortation preserved in the Augsburg city library, calls Martin Luther "the new Pope" and the Lutherans "new Papists" and urges the Brethren instead to cling steadfastly to God's Word and His Truth.

Brothers dear to my heart: you know that the time of the Apostles witnessed the rise of the sects of Antichrist. Increasing in power from day to day, they subsequently prevailed, and greatly corrupted the life, honour, body and property of all Christendom. Christ himself also says that in the Last Days there would be grievous errors, and that wherever possible even the elect would be led astray.

Beloved in the Lord, we who want to be members of Christ

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should keep before our eyes and take to heart the earnest warnings of our Redeemer and Saviour. And we should "test the spirits" whether they are from God or whether they are their own masters in the service of money and greed. They come in sheep's clothing and say: -- "I am from Christ". And they lead many astray and devour widows' houses in their insatiable greed, which will one day be made known. Christ the Lord be praised, for he has spoken truly.

For many years now the old and new Papists, because of their insatiable greed, have not been united concerning a small morsel of bread and a little drop of wine. Shame on them! The old Papists still believe that the bread or host is transformed into the body of Christ the Lord when they say the words 'This is my body as it hung on the cross', and when they bless the wine in the cup they believe it then becomes the blood of Christ the Lord. They also believe that the body of Christ can be confined, sold, put into safe keeping, carried around wherever one wishes.

But the new Pope and his followers seek to overthrow the traditional Papacy. They claim that the masses, vigils, invocation of the saints, purgatory, monastic rules, holy salt, water, herbs and candles are blasphemy. They say that the body of Christ cannot be put into safe keeping, or sold, carried round and confined.

Our new Papist shepherds are in the habit of giving advice when pious, honourable, simple people send for them. These good, simple, honourable people give God great honour, praise and thanks because He has in His fatherly goodness provided them with such learned men; and they fail to realize that they have been woefully led astray and deceived. With their flattery and sweet words these new Papists are outwardly humble sheep and inwardly ravenous wolves. Therefore, beloved in the Lord, take care when they say: "Look here, Christ is here or there". Don't believe it. they have twice the income of the old Papists and yet are not satisfied with it. A person should show himself worthy of his earnings, but money is a jester and makes fools of many.

Christ the Lord says: "Freely you have received; freely give". You ask then: "Shall we then have no money or anything else for our trouble and work? We study night and day: what shall

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we receive for our efforts?" My reply to you is: Follow Christ and through Christ you will lack nothing. You must learn to trust the Lord and not to store up treasures.

Because it is so clear and obvious to everyone that Christendom is so woefully astray, it can only be that they wilfully blind their eyes and shut their ears. We must be very different. Our Master and Lord has warned us against doing this; he has shown us what we should do -- that we should do God's work so that we may inherit God's Kingdom. That means to believe in him whom God has sent, and to love him; to love God above all else with all our hearts and to love our neighbours as ourselves. If we do that we are fulfilling the whole law and the prophets.

As Christ the Lord was preparing to go to his passion, in order to redeem mankind, he showed us what we should do in remembrance of him after his death, saying, "I heartily desired to eat this passover lamb with you before my passion. For I say to you that in the future I shall not eat of it again till the Kingdom of God is fulfilled". And he took the cup, gave thanks and said: "Take this and share it among you, for I tell you, I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine till the Kingdom of God comes". That is the true meaning of the Lord's supper remembrance of him and a sharing of the new testament.156