# Two Letters Written By These Imprisoned Friends, As We Have Found Them In A Small, Old, Printed Book. · Page 6 of 7

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This is our faith and confession concerning holy
baptism: that it may be given to none other but
adults that believe, and know themselves what they
are receiving, even as they who eat of the bread of
the Lord must have understanding and faith, and
must examine themselves. Because we thus rightly
observe these two sacraments according to the command
of Christ, hence it partly comes, that the
preachers are so exceedingly hostile to us. It
grieves them, that they should lose their profit.
They know not what evil things they can falsely tell
the authorities and the common people, in order
that they should not tolerate us in any city or country.
They pretend that there are so many thousands
of us in the country, who want to take possession
of countries and cities; whereas no such thoughts
have entered into our hearts, for it is impossible to
take possession of countries and cities without violence
and bloodshed. And if we had such a liberty
as would permit us to commit murder, and to deprive
an other of his property, we would also have
liberty to let our children be baptized by the priests;
then we would not need to allow ourselves to be
driven from our possessions and paternal inheritances,
from our ease into great misery, as a reproach
to all. If we had such a heart as is reported
of us, we would suffer all this in vain, for they who
do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,
as Paul says. Gal. 5:21. “A lie,” says Sirach, “is
a foul blot in a man, yet it is continually in the
mouth of the untaught. A thief is better than a
man that is accustomed to lie.” Sir. 20:24,25.
For they had also invented this lie against Paul,
that he had made an uproar, and had brought from
the wilderness four thousand secret murderers. Acts
21:38. But with regard to us they have still magnified
the lie, and speak of many thousands as being
of our faith. We have not so easy a faith, that they
flock to us in crowds; only here and there may be a
household, which are very solitary and few, as a
sparrow alone upon the housetop, like the pelican
of the wilderness, an owl of the desert, a lily among
thorns, and the apple tree among the trees of the
wood, which brings forth good fruit (Ps. 102:7,6;
Cant. 2:2,3; Ps. 1:3), as a penitent life, to deny
one’s self, and to hate his own life, otherwise he cannot
be Christ’s disciple. Luke 14:26. They that
are Christ’s, crucify the flesh with the affections and
lusts. Gal. 5:24. He that says he abides in Christ
ought himself also to walk, even as Christ walked.
1 John 2:6. Christ says that there are few that walk
in his way, in the way which leads unto life, and
that find it. It is hid from the scribes and wise of
this world. Base things, and things which are most
despised, hath God chosen, and things which are
not, to them it is given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of God. Thus Christ and his apostles declare
that there are few who have the true faith, and
know the way. As also the prophet laments: “The
faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm
12:1. For iniquity abounds, so that, if it were possible,
the very elect should fall into error, as Christ
himself says: “When the Son of man cometh, shall
he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. Hence
there will be few believers at Christ’s coming, and
have also been few from the beginning of the world.
As namely, in the time of Noah, only eight believing
souls. In Lot’s time, there were only three believers.
In the time of Israel, there were eight
hundred false prophets against one. Also, four
hundred false prophets, to one [true] prophet.
1 Kings 18.



## Original source

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