The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians / who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660

by Thieleman J. van Braght

[44] These words of Paul, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken,” are taken from the 116th Psalm of David.

[45] The old edition says: only or one. See Acts 17:26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men.”

[46] The forefathers before the time of the law had the custom of washing the feet of those who came to them friendly and peaceably. Gen. 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24.

[47] “Trust ye not in lying words,” saith the Lord, “saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.” Jer. 7:4.

[48] “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Heb. 11:4.

[49] And he (Andrew) brought him (Simon Peter) to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. John 1:42.

[50] He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the (Sela) rock, and oil out of the (Zur) flinty rock. Deut. 32:13.

[51] “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Rev. 21:14. In the first place it is questionable (even if it be admitted that by this description of the city of God we are to understand the church of God) whether thereby is meant the church of God as it is here on earth, or the glorified church of God, as it will be afterwards in heaven; for only the former, and not the latter, is to be considered here. In the second place, it is certain that the name “foundation stone” is ascribed here not to Peter alone, but to all the twelve apostles; hence he is here called a foundation not any more than any of the others.

[52] “James, Cephas” (or Peter), “and John, who seemed to be pillars,” etc. Gal. 2:9. Here James is mentioned before Cephas (or Peter). Again, John and James are called pillars as well as Cephas (or Peter), in order to show that the worthiness or the ministry of one was not more than that of the other, and that they, without distinction, were all equal therein.

[53] By which of the other apostles these brethren at Rome were converted, is not mentioned in the text; but it may have been that they were converted on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem, for at that time strangers of Rome were there. Acts 2:10.