Another Confession Of Reytse Aysess, Made Before An Arrogant Priest; Together With An Epistle Or Exhortation To The Friends.

Finally he spoke about praying, and boasted much of his praying; he said that he prayed more in one week, than I in three months, and he had much to say about praying, and that Christ prayed in the temple. I said that he was like the Pharisees, who boasted themselves so much of their praying, and stood in the temple, and on the street corners, to be seen of men. And in all your words you are like them; hence take good heed how you boast, for a tree shall be known by its fruit; for I do not like your fruit. He said that I had the heart of a Pharisee, and he their clothes; which is the better. Reytse. “No; it seems to me you have both, the heart and the clothes, for the Lord did not act thus, neither did his apostles lead such a life, nor have such clothing in their time, as you have, which is contrary to the Scriptures, hence take heed what you put on, for I beseech you to repent, for you cannot stand before the Lord with your faith, nor with your walk, nor with your church, for which you want to be responsible in the day of the Lord. Finally he went away. I told him to tell the bishop that he did not need to come again on my account, since I would in no wise hear him. He bade me good-day, and they brought me back into prison. About three days after, a messenger came from the bishop, and said that I should hear my sentence in three days from that time. On the appointed day they came, and transacted their business, as they understood it, and passed judgment upon me, being very pompous and verbose in their sentence. When, they had finished their business, they went away; but there remained a priest, who reviled much and talked improperly and unfitly. I would not talk with him, because they had delivered me over, and also because he spoke so ill and unseemly. Then he went away. A considerable time elapsed before I wrote this down, for I could not well recollect it because of my fellow-prisoners. And my memory also is rather short; some remarks I have forgotten; and if I were to write all, it would be far too much, for I have been before the bishop and his colleagues eleven times at least, and I talked much with them concerning all the articles of the faith.

Written by me, your beloved brother in the Lord.

Reytse Aysess.