# Of Severe Slanders Against The Anabaptists In The Province Of Holland, Etc. (To Instigate To Persecution), And How They Defended Themselves To The States Of Said Country, On The 8th Of October, A. D. 1626.

1626 · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: OF SEVERE SLANDERS AGAINST THE ANABAPTISTS IN THE PROVINCE OF HOLLAND, ETC. (TO INSTIGATE TO PERSECUTION), AND HOW THEY DEFENDED THEMSELVES TO THE STATES OF SAID COUNTRY, ON THE 8TH OF OCTOBER, A. D. 1626.

Source heading; not independently verified

In the meantime men did not cease to slander
and speak evil of the doctrines of the Anabaptists;
especially about the article which they confessed
concerning God, as also touching the incarnation
of the Son of God, etc., even as though they advanced
the most absurd, yea, ungodly opinions in
regard to it; which was done, in order, if possible,
to cause a persecution of these people, even in the
midst of the Netherlands.

For this occurred in such a way, that also the
high magistrates and States of the country were exercised
with regard to it; who, to get full information
about this matter, gave orders to divers
churches of the Anabaptists, to make a uniform
confession touching the aforementioned articles, and
to deliver the same to their noble High Mightinesses.

To this the aforementioned Anabaptists were not
averse; inasmuch as they composed these articles in
writing, and delivered them, on the 8th of October,
A. D. 1626, to the deputies of the Court of Holland.
The contents thereof were as follows:

Of the only God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We believe from the heart, and confess herewith
according to the testimony of the word of God, that
there is one, only, eternal, almighty, merciful and
just God (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 19:17; Ps. 90:2; Isaiah
40:28; Rom. 16:26; Gen. 17:1; Ps. 103:8; Philippians
2:4; Dan. 9:7), and none other (1 Corinthians
8:4,5), to whom there is none like (Ex. 8:10;
Is. 46:9), whose greatness is immeasurable, and his
form indescribable, 2 Chr. 6:18; Job 11:8,9. Before
whom, above whom, and beside whom, there is no
other, Is. 43:11; Deut. 10:17; 32:39. Who is
of himself that he is, Ex. 3:14. To whom all things
that are owe their existence, Gen. 1; Ps. 146:6; Acts
14:15. Who is the Alpha and Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end, Rev. 21:6;
Is. 41:4. Who knows, sees, and hears all things,
Ps. 94:11; 1 John 3:20; Ps. 33:13; 94:9. Who
alone is good, and the fountain and source of all
good, Matt. 19:17; James 1:17. Wherefore to him,
blessed be he, belongs and must be given all divine
honor, fear, love and obedience (Ps. 29:1; Luke
2:14; Deut. 10:12,20; 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Jeremiah
11:7), which may not be shown to any other,
neither to angels, nor to men, nor to any other,
whether they be heavenly or earthly creatures,
Rev. 19:10; Acts 10:26. For he will not give his
glory unto another, neither his praise to idols,
Is. 48:11; 42:8. But although God in the aforesaid
manner manifests and makes himself known in
general by his word: yet by the same word he also
shows himself distinctively and separately, as,
namely: That there are three that bear record in
heaven, 1 John 5:7. Not three gods, but one Father,
one Word or Son, and one Holy Ghost, even
as this was shown, when the Lord Christ was baptized
(Matt. 3:16); and is also taught in the words
of Christ, where he commands his disciples to baptize
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost. Matt. 28:19. So that therefore,
according to the word of God, the Father is the
true Father of the Son (Matt. 7:21; 10:32,33;
16:17; Mark 14:36; John 17), from whom the Son
proceeded in an incomprehensible manner from
eternity, and was born before every creature. Micah
5:2; Col. 1:15. Hence the Son is also the true Son
of the Father (Ps. 2:7,12; Matt. 3:17; 17:5), so
that also the Father, as far as he is the Father, is not
the Son, John 3:16,17; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 4:4. That
likewise the Son, as far as he is the Son, is not
the Father, John 16:28; Rom. 5:10. But that
herein the Father is another than the Son, and
the Son another than the Father, John 5:32,37;
10:25,29; 15:24. That also the Father and the
Son, as far as they are Father and Son, are not the
Holy Ghost. That also the Holy Ghost, as far as
he proceeds or is sent out by the Father, in the
name of the Son, is another than the Father or the
Son. But as far as the Father is God, eternal, uncreated,
but the Creator of all things, with many
other divine attributes, herein we believe that the
Son and the Holy Ghost are one with the Father, to
whom one and the same title of God, in the highest
significance, honor, service, and obedience, belongs.

However, the manner, how and wherein Father,
Son and holy Ghost are three and also one, we do
not think that God has so fully revealed to us in
his word; that also all the knowledge of it is not
necessary to salvation, since it is a high or deep
mystery, which here in this life can be known
but in part, as if seen through a glass darkly,
1 Cor. 13:12. The perfect knowledge and true contemplation
of which, is hoped for by faith, in this
life, but will only hereafter, in the life eternal, be
fully known. 1 John 3:2. Wherefore deep investigation
of this matter, beyond or above the word
of God, is more subtilty than Christian simplicity.
The terms, of one essence, trinity, three persons, invented
in former times by the ancients, we avoid,
because they are unknown to the Scriptures, and
because it is dangerous, in naming God, to use
other words than those of the holy Scriptures. By
the words, three beings, or three in one being,
previously used by Jaques Outerman, as also by
some of our teachers, we understand nothing else
than what is comprehended in this our preceding
confession.

Of the incarnation of the Son of God.

We believe and confess, that God, willing to show
his very great love to the human race (who through
sin had fallen into death and into much corruption),
and to perform by the deed his gracious promises
made to the fathers (Gen. 3:15; 12:3; 22:18;
Deut. 18:18), sent to this purpose his only (John
1049
3:16), dear (Luke 9:35), and beloved Son (Matthew
3:17), who was from eternity (Heb. 1:2), by
whom all things were created and made (Col. 1:16;
Heb. 1), into this world (John 3:17; 1 John 4:9),
who gladly obeyed the will of his Father (Ps. 40:8;
Heb. 10:7), and came from above (John 3:31;
8:23), from heaven (3:13; 6:62), came forth from
his Father (16:28), leaving his divine glory (17:5),
form (Philip. 2:6), and riches (2 Cor. 8:9), descended
(Eph. 4:9), came into this world (John
16:28), so that the virgin Mary, by the power
of the Most High (Luke 1:35), conceived him
(Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Luke 2:7), so that also the
same, and no other, was born of her (Is. 7: Matthew
1:25; Luke 1; Gal. 4:4). For although Mary
bore the Son of God in another form, than in which
he was with the Father before the foundation of the
world; yet it is nevertheless the same, whose goings
forth have been from of old, from everlasting, Micah
5:2; Is. 9:6. For the Word or Son became flesh.
John 1:14. Yea, he that was like unto God, became
like another man. Philip. 2:7. The Son of
God appeared in the form of sinful flesh (Romans
8:3), and God was manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy
3:16), so that the second man Christ is the
Lord himself from heaven. 1 Cor. 15:47. Hence
that which the apostles saw in Christ, with their
eyes, heard with their ears, and handled with their
hands, was of the Word of life; so that they saw
that eternal life which was with the Father. 1 John 1.
For God brought his first begotten Son into the
world, whom all angels and men must worship.
Heb. 1:6; Philip. 2:10. And when we thus believe,
we have in our favor the testimony of God and
of all the righteous, who with one accord unanimously
exclaim: that this visible man Christ is the
Son of God (Matt. 3:17; John 1:2; 9:37; 11:27;
Matt. 16:16; 1 John 4:10; 5:5), who dwelt among
men (John 1:14: Zech. 2:10; Bar. 3:37), and
whom the high priests, because he confessed himself
to be the Son of God, also condemned to death.
Mark 14:64; John 18:35. For, not knowing him,
they nailed the Lord of glory, that is the Lord from
heaven, to the cross. 1 Cor. 2:8; 15:47. There
the Son of the living God suffered (Heb. 5:8), whom
God did not spare (Rom. 8:32), but delivered him
up for the life of the world (John 3:16; 1 John
4:14), to the most ignominious death of the cross.
Philip. 2:8. There the Son of God shed his precious
blood for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 20:28;
Col. 1:14; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5); he by whom
God made the worlds, by himself purged our sins.
Heb. 1:2,3. He was buried, and the third day was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father.
1 Cor. 15:12; Acts 3:26: Rom. 6:4; 1 Thess. 1:10.
He ascended up to where he was before. John 3:13;
6:62; 16:28; Eph. 4:8; 1 Tim. 3:16. He is sitting
there at the right hand of the Majesty of his Father
(Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:3), whence he shall come in
the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the
dead. Matt. 24:30; Acts 10:42; Rev. 1:7.

The final cause of the sending, advent, incarnation,
and suffering and death of the only begotten
Son of God in this world, was to save sinners
(1 Tim. 1:15; Matt. 18:11), or to reconcile the
sinful world to God the Father, John 3:17; 1 John
2:2; 2 Cor. 5:19. Hence he is also the only foundation
(1 Cor. 3:11), the only door to the Father
(John 10), the only way to eternal life (John 14:6),
and the only meritorious cause of justification (Acts
13:38; Rom. 3:24), and of eternal salvation; for
there is salvation in no other, as the apostle Peter
says, neither is there any other name under heaven
given among men, whereby they must be saved,
than in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts
4:12. To him be praise, honor and glory forever
and ever. Amen.

This was subscribed by twenty ministers of the
Anabaptists (who are all well known), in the name
of their churches; as of Amsterdam, Haerlem, Leyden,
Delft, Rotterdam, Dergoude, Schiedam, Bommel,
Blockzijl, etc.

This confession of faith, concerning the articles
about God and the incarnation of the Son of God,
etc., having been delivered to the deputies of the
Court of Holland, produced satisfaction with their
High Excellencies, and hence the establishment of
greater peace and liberty for the Anabaptists in
said country, although to the dissatisfaction of those
who, through bitterness, had first endeavored to
disturb their peace, and, if they could have succeeded
to cause an oppression or persecution of
them.

Note.—Just in time two manuscript tracts, in
the Swiss language, were sent to us, both of them
having been sent before this date, from the Swiss
parts, to divers churches of our fellow-believers, but
principally to those of Amsterdam, at the request
and in the name of some of the oppressed brethren;
also, in general, of the ministers and elders of the
church in the Palatinate and Alsace.

The first was written and completed on the 15th
of September 1645, and bears the signature of Jeremiah
Mangold.

The second, in the month of February, 1658, by
M. Meyli.

These two tracts, both of them written with one
design and purpose, and sent to us, shall aid us in
the carrying out of the work we have undertaken;
namely, to extend the history of the holy martyrs
who suffered for our common Christian faith, to this
our present time, and bring it to a completion.

In order to do this in the best manner, and to
bring these matters (which in one tract are described
very diffusely, and in the other, very briefly,
and sometimes abruptly), into a convenient form or
shape, we shall not grudge the labor of treating
them from their first rise, and to follow up the matters
chronologically (though they are described indiscriminately),
and to indicate each time, in order
that no error be made, as to which tract from which
we have taken it.





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