# Preface to Second Part. · Page 7 of 11 [Previous page: Preface to Second Part.](/en/stories/mm-preface-to-second-part/part-6/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: Preface to Second Part.](/en/stories/mm-preface-to-second-part/part-8/) They further produce, in defense of, or, rather as an excuse for, the punishments of heretics, these reasons: 1. Thereby to bring and compel them to conversion. 2. That their heresy might not propagate itself, and pollute others. 3. To prevent rebellion. As regards the first, it is the duty of every Christian, to promote the salvation of his neighbor as much as is possible. But how is this to be done? by external compulsion with fire and sword? Impossible; this touches and affects the body, but not the conscience, which must not be compelled, but led and instructed. The word of God is the sword with which all error and heresy must be cut down. If the supposed error cannot be conquered with the power of truth, swords will be dull before it. And though a man, through dread of suffering, renounce his belief with the mouth, yet will he not do it with the heart; and thus, instead of converted Christians, dissembling hypocrites are made. But if a man remain steadfast, and is put to death, how can this tend to his conversion, since every means of conversion is taken away? For, one of two things is certain: if he is a damnable heretic, he is cast down into hell; but if he is not, a saved Christian is put to death; choose whichever you please and an abominable crime is committed. What is it then, that urges them thus to promote any one’s conversion? what binds them to this? who enjoins it upon them? who advises them to it? yea, who gives them permission to do it? and which of the apostles has set such an example? Truly, such reasons are but fig leaves and covers with which they seek to hide their shame and wickedness. They pretend that they aim at the conversion of men, but in fact seek to secure their own pleasure, honor and lust, in order thus to exercise undisputed despotism in the kingdom of God. So far is this from being the case, that any one’s conversion is promoted thereby, that on the contrary, all impartial persons conceive an aversion against them; so that even the good, (if any good remains, or can be found, in the persecutors), is rendered suspicious; yea, entirely destroyed, inasmuch as their words, however entreating and flattering they may be, can obtain no entrance or credit, neither do they deserve it. For, who would expect to learn anything godly or Christian from those who are pregnant with murder, and whose hands are stained with innocent blood? “Do men gather grapes of thorns?” Matt. 7:16. As to the second, it is so far from the fact that supposed heresy should be checked by tyranny, that it is almost always spread by it; for, when hands are laid on people whose life is blameless and pious, and they are imprisoned, tortured and subjected to a painful death, only for the name of Christ, and because they, as they openly confess, dare consent to nothing contrary to their conscience,—this produces reflection and attention in all impartial minds, who, on investigating the matter, discover the innocence of the persons accused and persecuted, and thus conceive an aversion to such degenerate Christians, who persecute others, and associate themselves with those who so valiantly bear the cross of Christ, as examples abundantly testify; which verifies what an ancient father has said: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. When the tyranny of popery was at its height, apostasy from it was greatest, for martyrdoms are effectual sermons, which touch the heart, and awaken the slumbering eyes; nor is this strange, for he that has a little knowledge of the Christian religion, and is not utterly blinded by malignant partiality comes easily to believe that the persecutors must be heretics themselves, since Christ and his disciples never persecuted any one, but always suffered persecution themselves. They easily perceive, that these cruel men are not innocent, meek and defenseless sheep, to which Christ compares his followers, but much rather ravening wolves, which have crept into the fold of Christ, and devour the sheep. John 10:1. The plain and pure truth, confirmed by an innocent life, is the means to overcome error and falsehood; they who depart from this to carnal weapons, betray themselves, and disclose their injustice and impotence; for, since they cannot prevail against the 348 truth, they endeavor, by exterminating and crushing the persons, also to exterminate and crush the truth. From all this it appears, how empty an excuse they seize to defend their tyranny, and what frail weapons they employ, to uphold the delusion. But it is a purely fictitious excuse, with which to disguise their purpose, and to attire in a strange dress the ugliness which cruelty presents to every eye, and, through deception, to make it pleasing to one another. They pretend to be zealous for the salvation of the people, but, in fact, endeavor to propagate their own kingdom of lies; and if aught rises in opposition to it, they seek to subdue it with the arm of flesh. The Pharisees, in the time of Christ, objected to Christ for the same reason, namely, that he was perverting the people. Luke 23:2. Their self-love and thirst for political power begat in them a bitter hatred and envy against our Savior, on account of which they sought to bring him to death. This they cover; of this they are silent. They cry, as though they were filled with a godly zeal: “This fellow perverts the nation;” though they, as well as these sought to seduce the people from Christ, the truth, to their own lies. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_348) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: Preface to Second Part.](/en/stories/mm-preface-to-second-part/part-6/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: Preface to Second Part.](/en/stories/mm-preface-to-second-part/part-8/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-preface-to-second-part/part-7/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Preface+to+Second+Part.+%C2%B7+Page+7+of+11&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0APreface+to+Second+Part.+%C2%B7+Page+7+of+11%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-preface-to-second-part%2Fpart-7%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-preface-to-second-part--b00032-o000000%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)