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

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: ANOTHER CONFESSION OF REYTSE AYSESS, MADE BEFORE AN ARROGANT PRIEST; TOGETHER WITH AN EPISTLE OR EXHORTATION TO THE FRIENDS.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

Shortly after there came a priest, who was very
arrogant; he asked me what I had determined with
regard to the letter which the bishop had sent me.
Reytse. “I have determined even as I said to you
the last time. For by what he writes I have not
been made weaker, but stronger, he foolishly writes
that no sin hinders or prevents a man, and that we
may observe the Supper with whores and rogues,
and that also no sin is so great that it can prevent a
man; all of which he wants to prove with the eighth
chapter of Mark, where the Lord fed the great multitude.”
Priest. “What do you want to prove
thereby? O how blind you are!” He became angry,
and would not understand Scripture, but blasphemed
and spoke very ugly, and said that I contemned
and rejected the Lord’s death with my second
baptism. But I said that I did not contemn the
Lord’s death, but deemed it good; “for, if I should
confess this as you say, woe would be to me; for I
do not recognize your baptism as a baptism, since
there is no Scripture for it. But with your infant
baptism, you reject Christ’s sufferings and death, for
Christ has redeemed us; but you say that the children
are damned, which you cannot prove with
Scripture. But those who live in sin, who, the Lord
says shall not enter into the kingdom of God, these
you say are saved; drunkards, covetous, and fornicators,
and whatever sins they may do, who the
Lord says shall not inherit the kingdom of God,
these you say are saved. But the poor children,
who are already saved, as the Lord has said, these
you say are damned. Is it not a lamentable matter
that you are so blinded? Hence wake up once, I
pray you, for it will ruin you.” He said that I had
a faith like a Turk. I said: “What is the Turk’s
faith?” He said: “The Turk believes in a piece
of wood, or in whatever suits him.” I said that
they [the papists] believed in a piece of bread, which
they held up as God, worshiping it, and falling upon
their knees before it, and regarding it as God.
Likewise, the idolatrous infant baptism, is that any
better than the Turk’s faith? He became angry,
and reviled us much, and did not think that we
were the right people, I said: “If I should tell you
what I consider you to be, you would not like it.”
He said tell it. Reytse. “Well then I shall tell
you; I consider you the vile world, the congregation
of the dead, and heathen and Turks according to
the spirit, and that you are alienated from the life
of God (Prov. 21:16; Eph. 4:18); and as is written
concerning you in Daniel 12, and in Revelation, so
it shall be found in the day of the Lord. Repent
therefore, and come out from her, that ye be not
partakers of her sins.” (Rev. 18:4.)

Then he arose and hastened away, but I overtook
him in another room, where we conversed for a
little while about infant baptism and other things.
Finally he said that he could not remain any
longer, since he was to stand godfather to a child,
I begged him not to do it; “for” said I, “The
child is as good as you can make it.” He said
that he would do it, nevertheless. He also spoke
much about the war, and about the Gueux,337
that their cause was a bad one, and that we aided
them with money and property. I told him what
he said was not true; for we did not want in
950any wise to defend them with money or blood, “for
I think nothing of the Gueux, neither of you, for
you cannot stand before God, miserably as you are
betraying and slaying one another. However, the
Gueux are not as bloodthirsty as you are, for if they
had apprehended me, they would let me go, but
you want to shed my blood.” He became angry
and said: “You desperate miscreant, should we
not kill you? we should not be able to answer before
God, [if we should allow to live] such a heretic
as you are; for we do so much running on your account
that no money could hire us to do it; hence
you shall here receive the temporal fire, and hereafter
the eternal, because you will not suffer yourself
to be instructed, as much as we have done for
you.”

I talked to him very gently, but he said that I
had the devil in me, and that he transformed himself
into an angel of light, and had seduced me,
that I could not remain in the true way. Reytse.
“I have no devil, but I speak with a free and glad
heart.” He reviled much; adducing no Scriptures
but only saying that they had done much for me,
and were always on the run to win my soul and save
my life, and now there was no prospect that I would
renounce my heresy; hence the bishop had to cut
me off, as was right. Reytse. “I never desired that
you should come to me, and you may stay at home
for I do not wish to hear you, nor to believe you,
and you might have saved all your running, for the
reward which you earned by me will not be great.”

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.





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