Part 5

No true Christian of the Anabaptists of this day will stumble at the fact that the first martyrs have not confessed so many articles of faith as the last ones, or as are confessed now; which, as has been said, is founded on a satisfactory reason.

However, we have found, and are fully satisfied therewith, that although, for the reason already mentioned, some have confessed more, and others less, of the articles of faith, they notwithstanding did not differ from each other in regard to their purpose and meaning; we speak with reference to those things which are of considerable importance, and may be considered as necessary for salvation.

But should it nevertheless be true, that one or the other (whereof one have not heard), on account of the earliness, degeneracy, or darkness of preceding times, was not truly enlightened; either in the faith or in the knowledge of it, or possessed some serious weakness or deficiency; but nevertheless, keeping the true foundation of salvation, that is, Christ,[22] though weak and frail, died, sacrificing his life through a violent death, with a good purpose, to the honor of God, the edification of his fellow brethren, above all, to the preservation of his own soul; such a one should, according to the nature of love, be excused, and counted a true martyr,[23] because of his entirely good intention, and his total renunciation, even unto death, of his possessions as well as his own self; for which the Lord has promised everlasting life, yea, the crown of life, Matt. 19:29, compared with Rev. 2:10: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of Life.”

[22] “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” 1 Cor. 3:11. On this foundation built all the true martyrs, of whom we have given an account; and unanimously kept it.

[23] For this reason a considerable error, which could not be allowed in a common member of the church not laboring under trial and oppression, might be tolerated in a martyr.

This is what we have thought proper to call attention to in regard to the title and contents of these two books; but before we dismiss the subject, it behooves us to make a brief statement in regard to the preceding or old work.

STATEMENT IN REGARD TO THE OLD WORK.

It was our intention to leave the second book, that is, the history of the martyrs from the year 1524 to 1614, unaltered, just as it was published before to the service of our fellow-brethren in the faith; except that we proposed to add a few more martyrs of the same faith, inserting them where it might be suitable. But our original design in this matter has been far transcended, since we, besides the writing of the whole first book, have added not only a few, but many, martyrs to the second book; and as many of the death sentences of the martyred persons, which we have recently obtained, did not agree in date and other circumstances with the respective accounts contained in the old book, some of them differing very greatly from each other; which came from the fact, that, when the martyrs were put to death, the rest of the believers of the place were frequently scattered on account of the existing danger, in consequence of which neither the time nor the manner of their death could be recorded: therefore we have, whenever we discovered such discrepancies, rewritten the original accounts and ordered them according to the time and manner indicated in the death sentences recorded by the papal and other clerks of the criminal court; in order that even the adversaries, if possible, might become convinced by their own testimony of the shedding of the blood of the saints.

This was no small task and burden for us; yet we have labored through and finished it (thanks be to the Lord for his grace). But how this was accomplished, we let the impartial and intelligent judge.

However, we consider it certain, that we shall not escape criticism; the world, being evil, is wont to criticise everything good. Besides, we have not aimed to please everybody, but to write the truth; and this, we think, we have done without passion, prejudice, or partiality.[24]

[24] Justus Lipsius says in the preface to his first book of “Steadfastness”: “Few readers will suffice me; one suffices me; none suffices me also: for I have written this for myself.” But this we leave to him, who had written it only for himself.

If anybody is displeased with this book, he may know that we have written it only for ourselves and for the well-disposed. With the evil-minded we have nothing to do. Therefore we shall console ourselves in regard to whatever we may meet with on this account. God and a good conscience shall be our support.

The captious I cannot escape, Who fault will always find; But yet, my heart shall never fear, Since God my purpose knows. Yea, Lord! thou knowest all my thoughts; To thee my cause I trust. I care not what my haters say, So free my conscience is.

Far be it from us, however, to acquit ourselves of all liability to err. No man in this world is so infallible, that he may not at some time err.[25] We consider it to be certain, therefore, that we, here and there (though not intentionally, but innocently), have erred; and this the more, as we have compiled and written this to a great extent while we were in distress, severe illness, yea, on the bed of sickness, when death threatened us; for which reason we ought to be the more excused, though we, for truth’s sake, do not seek it.

[25] “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly” (2 Cor. 22:1), says the apostle Paul, with whose wisdom we should not compare ours in the thousandth part.

If any one, therefore, no matter who, provided he does it in sincerity and good faith, can point out to us any errors,[26] we will consider the matter, forsake the evil, and follow the good. But if it is apparent to us, that not sincerity and faithfulness (that is, love of truth), but envy and ill-will caused by prejudiced partiality against our faith, are the prime motors in the case, we shall not very easily be induced to give it closer consideration; but it shall only the more confirm and assure us of the truth of what we have written and do believe.

[26] It is always easier to criticise a thing than to do it better. Therefore Karel van Mander, at the completion of a great work, adds these words: “Ye stiff-necked critics must first consider that too great a mountain lies between doing and saying, before you accuse a free conscience with your audacious babbling. Many have mouth enough to contemn the work of everybody; but not the hands to make something better. Saying is mere wind; but doing I esteem.” We say the same, and will let the matter rest here.

No one must expect, that if he, for the purpose of refuting or assailing with the pen, attacks this book (that is, as far as the work which we have written is concerned) in one or the other point, and not in its entire extent; we shall readily answer or oppose him; for we do not consider such a procedure worth the trouble of replying to it. But should the whole work be attacked or contested, yet so that no alteration is made in the language, nor anything essential left out, we would state, that, if God will spare our health and grant us strength, we will attend to the matter; since, for the sake of our brethren and companions, we shall, like Paul, not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, either to reply to, or refute the things advanced, or to do anything else we may deem necessary to the service of the defenseless and oppressed little flock of Christ.

But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. Psalm 94:15.

VALEDICTORY.

Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.[27] We have longed much for the hour that would bring us to the conclusion of our work. This hour has come; and therefore we will now rest.

[27] “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer” (that is, stone of help), “saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” 1 Sam. 7:12. Thus say we in reference to our history.

Receive this according to the nature of love. We have had naught in view, but that it should promote the honor of God, and your, our, and the salvation of all men. Your and our days are drawing to a close. O, may God grant, that the end of your and our life may be the beginning of the true and blissful life; that the setting of your and our days which are but misery and vanity, may be the rising of the eternal and glorious day of immortal glory.[28]

[28] The end of our work must remind us of the end of our life; and what we may yet lack in this, we shall ask of the Lord, “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” Ps. 39:4.

O Lord, bless us and all who may read this work; that they and we, in the true faith and with a godly conversation, may spread abroad thine honor, and afterwards, being honored by thee, receive a like reward.

We look forward with joy to the day which can bring us consolation. It will deliver us from this evil and perverse world. It will bring us to the true rest, where unrest will be no more, It will give us what our heart desires. O that this time had come already!

The Lord Almighty calleth me: My earthly work is done; and now I long to get away from thee, O world so vain! O house of pain! For though my flesh in thee yet moves, The soul immortal heavenward tends.[29]

[29] Then say we with Job: I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; Job, 19:25–27; and with Paul: we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. 2 Cor. 5:1,2. This caused John to say: Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev. 22:20. The grace of our Lord be with us all.

This was spoken by one of the ancients, when he thought that he had finished a good work, and that the hour of his departure was near at hand. Certainly a great confidence springing from a well-meaning heart. We say in the same manner: Our earthly work is now finished. We do not know that we shall be able to do much more good upon earth. But as long as we are here, we hold ourselves bound to our Creator, being confident that we have not lived in vain. We have, in our weakness, done what we could for the promotion of our own and the welfare of our fellow-men.

Be then, O God, gracious unto the least of thy servants, and grant that none of his natural or spiritual kindred, or of those who have been instructed by him, may be lost, but that they all may come to the rest of thy saints and be eternally saved.

With this, beloved reader, whoever you may be, we commend you to the Lord; and to you we commend the consideration of the things which you will find here; feeling assured that if you will do so, you will certainly receive that for which we have prayed the Lord in your behalf.

Yours very affectionately, as seeking your soul,

THIELEM J. VAN BRAGHT.

_Dort_, July the 31st, 1659.

OF THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD, ITS ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AND IMMOVABLE STABILITY, THROUGH ALL TIMES.

[As in the following work a survey is given, to some degree, of the succession and establishment of the church, we find it expedient in order that the same may not be misinterpreted, and because some of our good friends have requested and besought us (though we had intended to leave it as it was), to precede, by way of introduction, that which follows, by our exposition of the true and the false church, and of their respective good and evil succession and progress; also, to state the views we hold in regard to the right of succession. We will, therefore, begin here, and, so as not to be tedious, endeavor to be as brief as possible.]

As there are two different peoples, two different congregations and churches, the one of God and from heaven, the other of Satan and from the earth; so there is also a different succession and progress belonging to each of them.[30]

[30] Not only the word of God, but also experience, confirms the truth of our statement with reference to the two different churches; since daily and universally we may observe people who lead a very modest, devout and godfearing life; and, on the other hand, such whose life is extremely profligate, impious and godless: thus it is also with the root of life, that is, with the matter of faith or of unbelief. How can these be called or recognized by a different name than that of members of the two above mentioned churches?

We shall first speak of the divine and heavenly church, and then of the last mentioned one.

The divine and heavenly church, which is the separated holy flock and people of God, originated upon earth at the beginning of the world; has existed through all the ages up to the present time; and will continue to the end of the world.

OF THE DIVINE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH.

The state and divine service of this church have varied from the beginning according to the different periods in which it existed and flourished.

From Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Christ, from Christ to the end of the world, God ordained, for each of these periods, different customs, as regards the external divine service of this church; also different signs, seals, and appurtenances; though it is, was and shall be, the same church, the same people, and also the same God whom they served, still serve, and shall serve unto the end.

Before Adam fell, divine service had no respect to Christ; he had not yet been presented to men as a means of salvation, much less as their only Prophet, Priest, and King, or as the only true way, entrance and door to heaven, through whom alone men can be saved; but their happiness depended on their obedience to the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gen. 2:16,17.[31]

[31] The religion before the fall of Adam, with which we begin, was of short duration; hence little is said of it in the word of God.

After the fall, divine service had respect altogether to Christ, Acts 4:12. Truly God promised his Son to men, represented him by types, and finally gave him to them. In the meantime, the fathers who were before the advent of Christ, hoped in him, longed for his coming, and ordered and founded all their divine services, whatever these, according to the time and the command of God, might be, on his only and eternal reconciliation. Compare Gen. 3:15; 22:18; 49:10,18 with John 5:46; 8:56; 1 Peter 1:10,11.

Touching the external mode of divine service, this was not uniform at all periods, but varied very much; for it seems that in the time from Adam to Noah, men followed the implanted light of nature, or, to speak properly, the engraven law of the conscience or the mind; observing no essential and express ceremonial commandments, excepting Abel’s offering, and the commandment that the sons of God, that is, the members of his church, should not marry the daughters of men, that is, those who were not members of the church of God; which was enjoined under a severe penalty. Compare Gen. 4:4 with Gen. 6:3.[32]

[32] Abel’s offering was by faith. Compare Gen. 4:4 with Heb. 11:4--The sons of God were commanded to render obedience to the Spirit of God; which injunction they did not heed in the days of Noah.

In the time from Noah to Abraham, there was added God’s command, not to eat blood, nor to shed human blood. At that time God made a covenant with Noah and every living creature; that he would destroy them no more by a flood; and he set the bow in the clouds as a sign of the covenant. Compare Gen, 9:4,5 with verses 11,12,13.

In the time from Abraham to Moses God instituted the circumcision among his people; which served for the purpose of distinguishing the descendants of Abraham, of whom the church of God consisted, from all other nations, and as a seal of the covenant which God had made with Abraham and his seed, in particular. See Gen. 17:10,11,12, compare with Rom. 4:11.

From the time of Moses to Christ God gave, in addition to circumcision, many laws and commandments, too numerous to mention, which were to be observed by his people. These consisted in manifold sacrifices, oblations, purifications, etc., for the performance of which holy times were set apart, as the Passover, Pentecost, feast of tabernacles, new moons, and fast days; together with sacred places, as the tabernacle of Moses, the temple of Solomon; Shiloh, Mizpah, Moriah, etc.; also holy persons, as prophets, priests, Levites, singers, and door-keepers. See Ex., Lev., Num., and Deut.

From the time of Christ to the end of the world, God, through Christ, has taken away the ceremonies of the Mosaic law as well as the signs by which it was sealed; and, to the acknowledgment of the grace of Christ, commended the observance of other ceremonies and signs, as baptism, supper, etc. These external commandments, together with faith, and true penitence of life, which is the spiritual and moral virtue, the Lord has very strictly enjoined upon all members of the church of Christ. See Matt. 28:18–20; Mark 16:15,16, compared with 1 Cor. 11:2–28; also the entire epistles of the apostles, which treat of the fulfillment of the Mosaic ceremonial law, as Rom. 10:4; Gal, 4:10,11 and 5:1–4; Col. 2:16.

Having now briefly shown the diversity of the external divine service of the church of God, through all the times; it behooves us to state, on the other hand, in what points this church has always continued the same.

IN WHAT POINTS THE CHURCH OF GOD HAS ALWAYS CONTINUED THE SAME.

God has always ordained teachers in his church, and, therefore, always caused his will to be proclaimed to the people; which commenced principally in the days of Enos, the grandson of Adam; for then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. Gen. 4:26.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, preached of the judgment and the great day of vengeance of the Lord. Jude vs. 14,15.

Abraham, the father of the faithful, preached of the name of the everlasting God. Gen. 21:33.

Moses preached of the faithfulness, goodness, and righteousness of God; so that his doctrine dropped as the rain, and his speech distilled as the dew. Deut. 32:2–5.

David preached of the righteousness of God in the great (God’s) congregation, and would not let his mouth be stopped, that is, he would not be overcome by his adversaries. Ps. 40:10.

Afterwards, all the holy prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, preached of the laws, punishments and promises of God, and prophesied of the blessed and felicitous coming of the Messiah whom God had promised. Read the books containing their prophecies, throughout.

After the time of the Prophets, Christ himself preached of the fulfillment of the time, the coming of the kingdom of heaven, repentance, and faith in the Gospel. Mark 1:15.

The apostles followed the example and the command of their Lord, in proclaiming the will of God; and not that alone, but when their departure was nigh at hand, they appointed others in their stead, as Timothy, Titus, the seven teachers in the seven churches in Asia, who also, especially Timothy, were charged to appoint faithful men, who would be able to teach others also. 2 Tim. 2:2.

In order, moreover, that the church of Jesus Christ might always know, according to what rule persons were to be chosen for the ministry, the Holy Spirit, through the hand of Paul, has written concerning this matter, and transmitted it to posterity. 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9.

Besides the office of preaching, which has always belonged to the church, various other articles, in faith[33] and life as well as in outward worship, which have always obtained, and must still obtain, could be mentioned; however, since we think we have pointed out the chief article, by virtue of which, principally, a church is a church, and through what the same is sustained, we will, so as not to bring too much of the same thing, dismiss the subject here, and proceed to the stability, durability, and visible discernibility of this church, as we have promised in the beginning.

[33] In the matter of faith all the pious, from the beginning, looked to the Messiah; to whom also we, in these last days, must look; for he is the foundation not only of the apostles, but also of the prophets. Eph. 2:20.--Divine worship, humility, righteousness, faithfulness, and many other virtues, have been common in the ancient church as well as now in the last church.

OF THE STABILITY, DURABILITY, AND VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD.

That this church, from the beginning to the time of David, was always visible, discernible, and distinguished from other nations, is clear and manifest, and, as far as we know, not doubted by anybody. There remains, then, only to be proven, that the same after the time of David, has always been discernible, according to the preceding manner, and will continue to be so to the end.[34]

[34] The discernibility of the church of God before the time of David, will, we think, not be disputed; and we shall begin, therefore, from that period, leaving the time previous to that untouched.

To show this, the song of David of the city or church of God, Ps. 46:3,4, serves an excellent purpose. “Though the sea rage and roll, so that through its tempest the mountains fall in, Selah! the city of God shall nevertheless remain glad with her fountains, where the holy tabernacles of the Almighty are.” This passage, beginning with the preceding verse reads as follows according to the original text: “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.”[35]

[35] The swelling sea and the tempests of which David speaks here, must not be understood as having reference to elemental water, or a disturbance of the natural, created things; but to the onset of the evil practices and doctrines of evil-minded and ungodly men, through the wiles of Satan, the hellish adversary. The removing of the earth and the displacing or falling in of the mountains through the aforesaid tempests may be understood to refer to the ruin and destruction of the earthly-minded and great of this world, who perish through the noxious waters and commotions of evil doctrines. The streams which make glad the city of God, can very properly be applied as having reference to the saving doctrines through which the city or church of God is refreshed, gladdened, and through the divine promises contained in his word, made to rejoice in the Spirit.