Lord, to learn that the vineyard of the Lord is enlarging, and that
its branches are spreading wide, bringing forth upright fruits of the
most high God, which I have so long desired. Hence I thank my and your
God, that I hear what you have written, and rejoice that the light is
rising in every nook and corner, and shines over every mountain, as I
hear from many friends, who come to comfort me in my bonds. Therefore,
my dear friends, be diligent, every one according to the gift he has
received from God, and put it diligently out upon usury, so that you
may get much gain, and may hear these words of the Lord: Well done thou
good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter in to the marriage of the
Lord. Matthew 25:21.
Thus, let every one build up the house with lively stones, that it may
become a glorious priesthood, and that they may offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5. We may
always be of good cheer in the Lord, for his power is so great with
those who fear him, that all death, devil, hell, fire and sword, must
yield to him. All this cannot hinder those who are built upon Christ;
for we can do all things through him who makes us worthy, and through
his love everything is overcome, and it casts out fear (1 John 4:18),
as I can indeed say; for when I was brought into the King’s hall,
and stood there almost an hour, before the lords came, and saw how
everything was being put in readiness to torture me, I again and again
thought in my mind: O Lord, unless thou now succor me, I am utterly
lost; and I prayed him to give me a mouth to speak to his praise and
glory, and to close it against everything tending to blaspheme his holy
name and that of my neighbor.
While I thus spoke and they were getting ready to torture me, I felt
neither fear nor apprehension; however, they handled me in a very
severe and fierce manner, so that the president said: “Why will you not
tell the truth?” _Ans._ “Because Christ spoke nothing but what tended
to the glory of his Father, and what concerned his own divinity; about
all other things he was silent. And I want to do the same; wherever
his honor and the doctrine of his commandments are concerned, I do not
want to be silent either before emperor, or king, or duke, or count.”
Instantly the order was: “Handle him without gloves; a drowned calf is
a small risk.” Behold, my dear brethren and sisters, how unmercifully
they treated me. Nevertheless, the Lord was with me, blessed be his
holy name; I had no control of myself, but the Lord directed my mouth,
so that they could obtain nothing according to their will. See, my dear
friends, how faithful the Lord is; him that trusts in him he does not
suffer to be confounded. Sir. 2:10.
Hence I write again, always be of good cheer in the Lord, and admonish
one another at all times, for Peter deems it expedient and profitable
to help bear one another’s burdens, and this in love; for whether
one member suffer; all the members suffer with him; or whether one
member be honored, all the members rejoice with him. 2 Peter 1:13; 1
Corinthians 12:26.
In the third place, I let you know that my wife has been here, and
brought me your kind greeting, which I was very glad to hear; as also
that she desires to follow that which is best, according to her feeble
ability. For she confesses that the life which she has hitherto led
is evil, as we may indeed all confess that ours also was unprofitable
in times past. Tit. 3:3. Hence I entreat you, my dear brethren, that
you would exercise a watchful care over her, and admonish her to a
better life, and this in love; and if you should be able to accomplish
anything, and write it to me, it would greatly rejoice me. If you write
to me before I offer up my sacrifice to God, send your communication
to my aged mother, or to N., and I shall get it. Moreover, I gave her
some spices, namely, a nutmeg, three or four hands full of ginger, and
some cloves, that she should give them to J. C., or to some one else,
that they should be cut up in pieces and properly distributed around,
as a perpetual greeting, and this in the Lord. Here upon earth, an
eternal adieu in Christ, peace and farewell, in case this be the last
opportunity, before we all meet in the presence of Christ, and there
see one another in his glory. Amen.
My much beloved brethren, I have lived with you, and rejoice that you
are so courageous in building the city and the temple of Jerusalem,
which have lain waste and in ruins so many years. Hence do not lose
courage, brethren, though you be mocked and reviled as was Israel.
When they rebuilt the wall (mark), they waxed stronger as they worked.
Though the enemies raged, that the work might not progress, yet they
did not cease from it, but kept watch the more diligently, holding
in one hand the spear or the sword, and in the other the trowel, and
were of good cheer, for God was with them and fought for them. Neh.
4. Behold, my dear friends, let us take an example, how valiant these
heroes were; they were not daunted by their enemies. Thus let us also
do, however much they cry or write, yea, revile and say: “Behold,
these people come, and want to lay a new foundation to the city, and
do not know an _a_ from a _b_. Whence have they this? where did they
learn it? We have studied at universities, and spent our money for this
purpose. Now, should these asses come and teach us? One is nothing
but a cobbler; another, a weaver or furrier, and these want to quote
Scripture. Let them remain at their trades; that [quoting Scripture]
is our province; nor will we tolerate it; it must be opposed with
fire, water, and the sword.” Nevertheless, do not let us fear or be
intimidated, however much the dogs bark, and the lions roar; for God,
who is with us, is a strong God; he will preserve his own, and help
them gain the victory. They can do no more than what the Lord permits
them. My dear brethren, excuse this my simple letter; it was for the
most part written in haste, the day after I received your letter.
Herewith I will commend you once more to the Lord, and to the word of
his grace. Tell the friends in Vlieland, that I affectionately greet
them with the peace of the Lord, that they shall contend valiantly for
the law of the Lord. Pray the Lord for me; I will also pray for you;
do not forget me in your prayers; think as though you were imprisoned,
too. Heb. 13:3. Farewell. The fear of the Lord preserve you all. Amen.
I also send you here another letter; perhaps it may refresh you in the
assault you suffer from the adversaries of baptism. [What prompted me
to write it is a controversy] which I had with a Lutheran preacher.
The following is a reply to his letter, which he sent me, since we had
often conversed together. The Lord be with your spirit. Amen.
A LETTER FROM JAN GERRITS TO THE LUTHERAN PREACHER.
My much beloved good friend, herewith I will bid you adieu, for after
this I hope to dispute with, or write against, neither you nor any
other man; for Paul says: Avoid contentions, or profane babblings,
and unprofitable disputations; for they will increase unto more
ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a canker. Tit. 3:9; 2 Tim.
2:16,17. Hence I want to be delivered also of you, and that my soul may
rest in peace with God. Farewell always.
See, my good friend, here are the arms and weapons of my faith, and
this, in part, briefly shown. Behold, with these, and no other,
whether of iron or steel, spear or sword, will I attack the kingdom
of antichrist; for spirit must be overcome with spirit, and flesh
with carnal weapons. Hence I say with the apostle: The weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty before God to the pulling down of
everything that exalteth itself against the truth; for we wrestle not
only against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of this world, against spirits of wickedness
under heaven. 2 Cor. 10:4,5; Eph. 6:12. Hence all Christians must put
on the armor of God, that they may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil; and also be ready in every respect. Hence Peter says:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast
in the faith.” 1 Pet. 5:8,9. This is our weapon, with which we are
satisfied.
In the first place, a Christian does not know war, but must patiently
bear all that comes upon him, for the Lord’s sake; for Christ taught
his disciples only love for their enemies. Moreover, he forbade them,
when they asked him: “Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come
down from heaven, and consume this people?” “No,” he said, “ye know
not what manner of spirit ye are of.” Matt. 9:54,55. Be merciful, as
your heavenly Father is merciful. When he suffered he threatened not.
1 Pet. 2:23. These examples we follow with all diligence, according to
our feeble ability, commending our souls to the mercy of God, as the
faithful Creator. From this you may see or understand, what kind of
people we are, and what spirit we have.
See, my good friend, with these weapons and arms I will meet you, as a
little and unrenowned David, meeting the great Goliath and presumptuous
champion who mocked and reviled the army of God, and relied upon his
own strength, even as you now trust in your learning, and are proud of
the name “Rabbi,” and because of the great reputation and renown of
your understanding, might and power, you begin to say with Goliath:
“Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? I can and will give
thy flesh unto the fowls of the air to eat.” 1 Samuel 17:43. Thus
spoke Goliath, and you no less; for you say that without strength I am
deceived and dead. Yes, my friend, I am well aware, that I and those
like me are always looked upon by you as little and unlearned.
Behold, by your presumptuousness you have brought it so far, that I
dare boldly step forth with my sling and stone, and say to you, as to
Goliath, the champion and defender of the Philistines: Behold, thou
hast come out to me, relying on thy spear and shield; but I come to
thee from confidence in God, in the name of the God of Israel, and will
give thy flesh this day unto the fowls of the air to eat, and slay thee
with thine own sword, namely with your own writing or disputation,
which serves me to overcome you, not by the spirit of the universities,
but by the word and power of God, and this in Dutch, my mother tongue,
to the greater glory of God, and to your shame. And the dumb ass shall
cause your madness to be manifest; you Balaam have beaten me, poor ass,
so long until I spake by the power of God. Num. 22:28. You Goliath have
so long reviled and defied me and the army of Israel, that I slay you
with your own sword, which I should not have done, had you not snapped
with such sharp teeth, and flourished your pen so boldly; how could I
let this pass. Now, if I receive no thanks for it, as I presume will be
the case, you may blame yourself for it, for one cannot be silent and
speak the words of God.
O men, men, it were well for you, that like Gamaliel you would leave
the people of God in peace; for if this work is of men, it will come to
naught, but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it; hence, take good
heed, lest you run against the sword of the Lord, and be found even to
fight against God. Persecute Jesus of Nazareth no longer, and leave
Israel unmolested. Acts 5:34, etc.; 9.
To come now to the purport and beginning of your letter, which you
sent me in order to instruct me in all the arguments and intelligence
pertaining to the faith, I find that you greet me in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. To this I reply: Since you boast
of being a Christian, and regard me as a reprobate and unbeliever, and
as laboring under a false opinion, therefore I say that you are wrong
in writing thus, for John says: If there come any unto you, and bring
not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither greet him;
for he that greeteth him is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John 10,11.
And Paul says that if any man that is called a brother be nevertheless
a fornicator or the like, he, as also an unbeliever, shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. Hence, since they cannot inherit the kingdom of
God, we are not to eat bread with them, for the destruction of their
flesh, that they may consider from whence they are fallen. 1 Cor. 5.
In the second place, you call me your brother. Why am I your brother,
seeing we differ in faith? Is it because we are all created of God the
Father? I say no to this; for if we were brethren according to the
spirit, and according to the doctrine of Christ and the apostles, we
must be in one faith and practice, and be led by one spirit, which,
however, is far from being the case; for the brotherhood must spring
out of the heavenly regeneration, through the hearing of the divine
word, from the earthly into the heavenly. This brotherhood is not
ascribed to unbelievers, nor does it originate in carnal descent,
as Paul clearly indicates, when he says: “Be not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what
concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with
idols?” etc. 2 Cor. 6:14, etc. For the brotherhood consists in this:
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit; to abide in one hope of
the calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Eph. 4:3. Mark, you are
satisfied with your baptism, whether administered by the midwife, or by
confirmation, and the like; not considering that God would dwell above
all, and in us all, through his word.
Since, then, you are so contrary to me, and I to you, in faith,
doctrine, life and spirit, why do you call me brother, I ask you once
more? Or, if I am a heretic and a renegade from the truth, why do you
not avoid me, after I have been admonished once or twice? for this is
commanded by the Scriptures. But alas! you do not obey the divinely
inspired Scriptures, but choose them unto your own destruction. 2 Pet.
3:16.
In the third place, I find in your deceptive letter of instruction,
that I am accused and decried only with reference to error and
misapprehension regarding baptism, no other articles being mentioned.
What shall I say to this? Are all your gods an abomination to you? and
is it all over with your false doctrine and church usages? I think not;
you are too fond of deceitful gain. But I well know your intention;
you think that when you shall have deprived me of one, you will also
get the rest, according to what you yourself said in Delft. O what a
brother you are to me, fine, indeed, in appearance! But my Teacher and
Master Christ Jesus has warned me against you, to “be wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.” Matt. 10:16. Yes, you are such a brother to me,
as the old, lying prophet, who deceived the man of God by his lies; for
God had commanded the man of God to prophesy against the altar, and
to eat no bread, nor drink water at that place, until he should have
returned into his own country. But the seed of the serpent, the old
prophet, said: “Eat bread with me, and drink water.” The man of God
answered: “God has forbidden me this.” But the deceiver said: “I am
also a prophet of the Lord, as thou art, and the Lord spake to me, that
you should eat bread here, and drink water.” Then the man of God went
in with him, and transgressed the commandment of the Lord; wherefore,
in punishment of his disobedience, he was slain by a lion on the way. 1
Kings 13.
This example is a great terror to my soul; for after deception, and
transgression of the word of the Lord, he sends lions, dragons and
bears, that they may get dominion of my soul, and kill it; for if my
faith were feeble and wavering, I should be overcome and certainly be
killed, but the anchor of my faith is steadfast.
In the fourth place, I come to your unreasonable or willful stupidity,
that you want to maintain your infant baptism by the circumcision
of the law, or Israel’s sign of the covenant. For Paul says that
circumcision (which you understand to be a figure of baptism), is made
without hands, in the spirit, for the putting off of the sinful flesh;
whose praise is not of men,--as was done with the hand on Israel--but
of God. Col. 2:11; Rom. 2:29. Now, is your infant baptism in the
spirit, without hands, and this for the putting off of the sinful
flesh, and for sin which they have not yet committed? For to put off
the sinful is this, as Paul says: “Mortify your members which are upon
the earth; fornication, adultery, uncleanness, lasciviousness, evil
concupiscence;” see, whether this can be understood as having reference
to your children.
And through your infant baptism you cause it that we are called
Anabaptists, though we do not baptize, nor are baptized, twice, but
once, and this according to the truth, and pursuant to the command and
practice of the apostles; and with this we are well satisfied.
In the fifth place, I will tell you our confession and practice, to
show you that our baptism originates not in an opinion, but in the
command of the most high God. After this, I hope to write against or
dispute with neither you nor any one else, as said before; for great,
presumptuous wisdom, I have not, but an assured heart and a firm faith
in my ground. Listen to this brief statement: Touching circumcision,
I confess that it was a token of Abraham’s covenant, to him and to
all his seed (Gen. 17:9): and also the entering into Israel, the
church of God. The external circumcision of Israel was a figure of the
future, inward circumcision of Christ, as may clearly be understood
from the spirit of the New Testament, even as Paul says that that is
not circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but circumcision is
that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, or law; whose
praise is not of men, but of God. Rom. 2:28,29. Nor are you those who
are circumcised in Christ, with the circumcision made without hands,
in putting off the sinful flesh. Col. 2:11. Further, what people are
they who are buried with him through baptism? Listen, I pray you: Are
you risen? through what? Through faith. What faith? What faith have
the sponsors, through which God works, as you people understand it?
Mark here, no infants; but such as believe and understand. And this
you put forth as your strongest argument. O friend, do not willfully
kick against the goad; or it will be hard for you to speak against
God, and to drive his word and truth from you so stoutly. For, if you
claim outward circumcision to be a figure of baptism, well, then, who
makes you pedobaptists so presumptuous that you baptize infants before
the eighth day? And why do you baptize female children? for, under the
law, these were not circumcised; from which it would follow that female
children are not to be baptized; for truth is consistent.
You are at an end with your figures of baptism; but we have a better
explanation concerning the figures of baptism, and Paul and Peter shall
help us keep it by their spirit and testimony. Peter says that the
entrance through the water into Noah’s ark signifies to us baptism.
Gen. 7:7; 1 Pet. 3:20,21. He who dares deny this, may also contradict
us, who are little and unlearned in their estimation, yet are taught of
God. Matt. 11:25.
Our second witness with regard to the figures of baptism is the great
apostle Paul, who declared the counsel of God. Acts 20:27. He says
that the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, their passage
through the Red Sea, and that they were baptized under the pillar of
cloud, through Moses, was a figure, and for our instruction. Ex. 14:22;
1 Cor. 10:1. But we, who are of the substance in the spirit and the
New Testament, confess a clear ordinance, doctrine and command of God,
and then the rule, practice and the clear examples of the apostles,
regarding baptism; this is explanation enough for us.
The command of Christ is: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature; teach them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: he that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:15,16;
Matt. 28:19,20. [Baptism is,] in the first place, a grave of sin, an
entering in the church of God, a putting on of Christ, a fleeing from
the wrath of God, a washing of regeneration, and the seal of a good
conscience or assurance toward God; and he that rejects this rejects
the counsel of God. The practice of the apostles was this: “If thou
believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Romans 6:4; Gal. 3:27;
Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21; Luke 7:30; Acts 8:37.
_The following was written by Jan Gerritts, although it is not
contained in the first edition._