Divers Examinations Of Reytse Aysess Before The Commissary, Pastors, Priests, Bishops, And Others.

He further admonished me, that I should suffer myself to be instructed by the holy Church, which had stood for fifteen hundred years, while our sect had existed only fifty years, for Menno Symons had first introduced it. Reytse. “There were from the beginning of the world two classes of people, a people of God and a people of the devil. But the children of God have always been persecuted and dispersed, so that they have always been in a minority, and sometimes very few in number, so that they had to hide themselves in caves and dens, and as they are not of the world, the world does also not know them; but the ungodly have always been powerful, and have prevailed, and therefore you do not know the children of God, neither did your fathers know them, and you think that they have only now arisen.”

They said that I was seduced; their church had always existed from the beginning. I said: “When we shall appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, it will be found otherwise; then you will say: These are they whom we had in derision: O how they are now numbered among the children of God.” Wisdom 5:3,5. They also told me that I should not concern myself with the Scriptures, but simply go to church, and suffer myself to be instructed there, and not be obstinate, since the Scripture says that every word is established in the mouth of two or 946 three witnesses, and hence I was bound to believe them. Reytse. “I believe the word of the Lord far more than your testimony; I do not want to depart from it, and hope by the help of God to live and die for it, because Christ says: ‘Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.’ ” Matthew 10:32.

We had many other words, which it would take too long to relate. They approached me so with sophistry, that if the Lord had not been on my side, I would have had to succumb; so that I may well say: The Lord is my helper, of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 56:11.

After I had been in prison nine weeks, I was again conducted to the Poorte, where were two priests and the bishop’s commissary; one was the priest of Nyehoof, the other was from the country. When I came to them, I uncovered my head, and greeted them. They first asked me on what I had determined, whether I would not amend. I said: “Yes, as much as is in my ability.” They then produced a letter, which contained the articles which I had previously confessed; this they read to me and asked whether I would adhere to it. I said: “Yes.” They said, then I was damned, and should plunge soul and body into eternal perdition. Reytse. “How dare you condemn me so dreadfully, whereas judgment belongs to the Lord?” Priest. “You have offended against the Scriptures, and apostatized from the holy Church, which has stood for fifteen hundred years, while your sect has not existed more than forty years; and you have suffered yourself to be rebaptized, whereas you had been baptized before.”