The Reason Why We Have Pointed out the Article of Holy Baptism

For more than a century up to the present day, people have been made to believe that the Anabaptists, as they are contemptuously called, sprang up only recently out of some erring spirit, some say out of the Munsterites,* and so on; whose fabulous faith, life, and conduct the true Anabaptists have never recognized; for no one will ever be able to show with truth, so far as we have been able to learn, that the articles of religion of those Munsterites, by which they drew the attention of the world upon themselves, and which consist in commotion, rebellion, and the like, were ever adopted or acknowledged as good, much less professed and lived, by any formal church of the Anabaptists, or by any well known member of the same. [n18-1] But on the contrary, from that time on and ever since, they have declared that they would have neither lot nor part with them or with their doings; and they warned one another not to follow such ways, because these could not stand the test before God and His Word, nor before the mind of a true and meek Christian, being contrary to the Gospel of Christ and the most holy faith.

If we were inclined to pay them in their own coin, we might say: the Munsterites were fellow members of those who approve of war and claim that a man must spread and defend his religion with the sword. For this is what they did; but we speak against it with heart, soul, and mind.

Nevertheless, the people were made to believe these things; and therefore many simple people, without experience or knowledge, have adopted the opinion described above, simply because their pastor, preacher, or teacher told them so. Hence many slanders have sometimes been, and still are, spewed out like bitter gall against the so called Anabaptists, who are despised and rejected by everybody.

In order to show that the doctrines of the Anabaptists, and especially that article on account of which they are called Anabaptists, did not originate with the Munsterites, or with any other erring spirits who have arisen in these last times, but have come from the source of truth, Christ and His apostles, we have placed their origin in the time of Christ, and have shown that even then this article, along with other articles of the Christian religion, was taught and practiced; and also after the death of the apostles, through every age, even to the present time.

Now the point will be to give the reasons why we have named this whole work, with all the persons contained in it, after the Anabaptists; from which, as a second question, it might be asked: did all the persons mentioned, confessors as well as martyrs, none excepted, confess the same as what the Anabaptists of this day confess? Or did any believe, practice, or hold higher or lower, more or less, in this or that article?

We shall treat these matters separately, one after the other, giving the reasons as well as the answers.

(Compare the tract Onnooselheyds Peyl, and so on, Hart edition, in the year 1631. Appendix to the History of the Martyrs, a little before the introduction; with the various attestations of Bernhard Rotman; Godfrey Stralensis, Rollins, and other Lutheran leaders at Munster; whose writings concerning this matter were published shortly after the transaction and have also come down to us. Also, the notes of Melanchton, Milo, Sleydan; and also in the great atlas, old edition.]