The bishop said that we must be born of water and of the Spirit, if we are to be saved; hence children must be baptized, if they are to be saved. Reytse. “No; this is no Scripture, that children ought to be baptized; for the Lord called the children to him, that they should not be turned away, for theirs is the kingdom of God; hence they are already saved.” He said that they were believing [believers?] children, that were circumcised, and he made a long speech about the circumcision of Abraham, that the children had to be circumcised, or they were damned; and as then was circumcision, so now baptism has been ordained by the holy fathers, as is now the case. Reytse. “To this I say no; it is not so, that the children that were not circumcised were damned; for it was a command of God, that they should be circumcised. They were to be circumcised because they were Abraham’s seed; the Lord had so commanded it, because they should be his people, and not for the reason that they that were not circumcised should be damned. For they were circumcised on the eighth day, and many must have died before they reached the age at which they received the sign of circumcision; hence great injustice would certainly have been done the poor children, and in such a case all the female children would certainly have been damned, who are heirs of the kingdom of God as well as we.” To this he said the children had nevertheless to be baptized, if they were to be saved. Reytse. “No; I further say, that the children are in the hands of God, so long as they are ignorant, and baptism does not belong to them; but to those that have repented; for John preached repentance and amendment, and only those [the penitent] to be baptized, for the remission of sins, as he also says: O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Repent, therefore, and save yourselves from this untoward generation.” Luke 3:7,8; Acts 2:40.
The bishop said that I could not prove it with John’s baptism. I said that Christ himself came to John, and requested it of John. John refused it to the Lord. The Lord said: “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness;” and John suffered him. Why do you say that I can not prove it with John’s baptism? for Christ himself requested it. The bishop made but little reply to it. I said: I will show you still more Scriptures, that it belongs to believers, as the eunuch to whom Philip came. Philip said: “Understandest thou what thou readest?” He said: “How should I understand it, except some one instruct me?” Philip preached unto him from the beginning, and he believed it. He said: “Here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Philip said: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” The eunuch replied: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.” Then he baptized him. (Acts 8:37) Here we see that faith was before baptism nor was he a child. Further, in like manner also Paul was baptized, when he had become a believer. Pray, read the Acts of the Apostles through. The bishop said, they also did want to baptize such adults that had not been baptized in their infancy, as the heathen or Tibbites, who were not baptized in their infancy; hence they would also baptize adults, for he said that it was written: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Though faith is mentioned before baptism, it is all the same; hence children must be baptized: for there are many that do not become so old that they attain their reason; hence they certainly die without baptism and are as certainly damned. Children must therefore be baptized, that they may all be saved. I said, that the children are in the hands of God, and baptism does not pertain to them, for there is no Scripture which declares that it does. Had it been the will of the Lord, he would have commanded it; but now he has commanded that the believers are to be baptized, as he taught, and as his apostles practiced. Hence prove to me with the Scriptures, that it is commanded to baptize poor innocent infants, which have done no sin; for though I had never so many children, I would not have them receive your baptism. He said, though it was not commanded to baptize children, neither was it forbidden to baptize them; hence there is no Scripture prohibiting it. I said: “All that the Lord has not commanded he has forbidden. Hence, if he has commanded to baptize the believing, men ought not to do differently from what the Lord himself has commanded, for we everywhere read of a baptism of repentance, and not of a baptism of infants, as you teach and do. Why do you do that which ought not to be? For it seems to me that you know better; tell the truth.” But he made me no reply to it; except that I was seduced; if I adhered to this faith I would be damned; hence I should betake myself to the holy Catholic faith. And we had many other words, but it grew late, and he went out, and said to the castellan, that there was no hope for me, and that I would not suffer myself to be instructed; and told me to consider the matter further. I said that I wanted to do that; but in this respect I have already considered; but do you consider it, I pray you.
ANOTHER CONFESSION OF REYTSE AYSESS, MADE BEFORE AN ARROGANT PRIEST; TOGETHER WITH AN EPISTLE OR EXHORTATION TO THE FRIENDS.
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 any 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.