Clear, Incontrovertible Confession

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world,” John 6, verse 51.

“For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” First Corinthians 3, verse 11.

To the impartial reader: I see and observe, honest reader, that many books, printed in Latin, and also handwritten German books, are circulated and read concerning the incarnation of the Lord which, in my opinion, so slander our reputation that those who read them or hear them read shut their noses and mouths when we approach. Therefore I feel compelled, first, to reply to some accusations wrongfully brought against me by John A’Lasco; second, to set forth my confession and faith concerning Christ Jesus, the Son of God; and third, to resolve and judge according to divine truth, as far as the grace of God is given me, his principal points by which he refutes our foundation and faith. I do this not for my own sake; for I am well aware that with him my truths are lies, and that to the learned I will remain a heretic and impostor, as all the holy apostles and prophets did, even if Christ spoke in and through me, poor, ignorant creature, with the same power with which he formerly spoke through the apostles and prophets. But I do this from pure love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and his holy word; from love for my beloved brothers; and also from a heart well disposed toward my opponents: that Christ Jesus, the Son of the almighty and great God, may be made manifest as a true Son of his heavenly Father; that the Scriptures may remain unbroken; that the afflicted, hungering consciences that would gladly follow what is right may see and know it, and so thank the almighty and eternal Father with cheerful hearts through his first and only begotten Son, Christ Jesus; that the God-fearing reader may also know through whom he is reconciled with his God; and that we establish our foundation in no other way than by the clear and positive Scriptures and incontrovertible truth.

See, this is why I have undertaken this labor yet before my death—I who in my weakness look every day, with resignation, for the dissolving of this earthly tabernacle—so that I may leave behind me a sure testimony and memorial of how honestly or dishonestly, how highly or how lightly, how greatly or how little I have esteemed the Lord Jesus Christ, my only and eternal Surety, Consolation, Refuge, Deliverer and Savior, during the time of my service; for I am aware how we are upbraided and slandered.

Therefore I have divided this book into three parts. The first part is a reply to some articles and accusations, apart from the foundation of our conduct, with which John A’Lasco accuses and blames us without any truth whatever.

The second part is my confession of the origin and descent of the flesh of Christ, demonstrated by the power of the Scriptures.

The third part contains the principal objections, particularly those of John A’Lasco, to our foundation, which are answered overwhelmingly according to the word of God. I have divided it this way so that the reader may not become confused, but may gain a better and clearer understanding and sense of our writings.

I ask and pray all my readers, for Jesus’ sake, whether they are learned or unlearned, favorable or unfavorable, to read my writings with an unprejudiced mind, attentively and intelligently; to read them often; to compare them with the Scriptures and weigh them in the balance of the Scriptures. I pray them to believe the Scriptures, and not the long and many writings, teachings and colorings of the learned; to examine the foundation without bitterness, believe the surest truth and follow it in the fear of God, and give him due praise, as befits all reasonable people according to the Christian name. I do not doubt that all who read them with due attention will soon find that the foundation, doctrine and faith of our opponents concerning Christ, the Son of God, is deceptive and erroneous, and that our foundation is the foundation and testimony of the Holy Scriptures—indeed, that it is the power and the truth.

I further pray that the reader will not hold it against me if I call falsehood lies and rebuke evildoing. By the grace of God I trust to do so without any bitter feeling and with words as temperate as possible. I also pray that he will not become impatient if I sometimes repeat the same words and matter where necessary, and also that at the end he will not judge me without consideration and understanding and so become angry with me. For I do nothing more than a reasonable clearing according to the truth; nothing more than prove that my faith and hope agree with the Scriptures, and uphold the honor and praise of my Lord and Savior—something I am called to do not only by word of mouth and with my pen, but also with my lifeblood, if his glory demands it.

May the beloved Lord, the faithful Son of the true and living God, to whom be all honor and praise, grant all kind and discreet readers a mind eager to examine diligently, and enlighten their understanding hearts to understand rightly. Amen.

In the first place, John A’Lasco writes “that I have magnified his name so that, on account of the correspondence I had with him, I might obtain greater honor, more consideration and authority among ours” (as he calls them).

Answer. It is true that I called him the noble and highly learned, and so on, in my confession to him and the preachers; but I did this for no other reason than simply to be polite. I did not paint him in such hateful colors as he painted me, calling me a doctor or teacher of Anabaptists. Nor have I called him by such high names as he calls himself—Poloniæ Baro. I have not sought through his name what he, alas, ascribes to me. Thanks be to the Lord, I know with holy Paul that I cannot be the servant of Christ if I seek to please men, Galatians 1, verse 10. If I were to become more honored in the name of a man, be he king or emperor, than in Christ, it would not go well with me in the end. For if I seek my own honor and not the honor of God, it will not be my honor. But I hope to obtain an honor that will remain with me forever. Men may judge me as they will; they must confess before their God in the day of Christ. He whose eyes are like a flame of fire knows what I seek and do, my coming in and my going out, my rising up and my sitting down. If he knew nothing better of me than what men judge me to be, I might justly cry out: Woe is me, that I was born! [Note 1]

In the second place, he writes “that I have unjustly attacked his reputation and profaned their church service.”

Answer. I trust that nobody can truthfully show that I have said anything but the truth about John A’Lasco or his supporters and followers. But if they are hurt by the truth, which he takes so hard, they may blame the truth for it and not me. I am willing to leave it to the judgment of all reasonable people whether I wrote justly or unjustly, too much or too little, concerning his doctrine, sacraments, church service, church or community, or that of the preachers of his kind. If their doctrine and church service are of God and his word, why are their unreasonable and reckless disciples not converted from their ungodly ways and doings? For according to the content of the Scriptures it is certain that the doctrine and service which is of God has its power and effect, Isaiah, chapter 55. But it is all too evident from their fruits that nothing is threshed from them but chaff. My conscience tells me nothing but that I have done justice to them and their church; for I have rebuked them with zeal for the things that all the prophets, apostles and faithful witnesses of God diligently rebuked before me, namely: I have rebuked their carnal, impenitent lives, as is plain before all the world. If I have done wrong in this, then I may justly accuse Moses and the prophets, together with Christ and the apostles, of it; for they have earnestly commanded me, unworthy creature, and all God-fearing preachers to do so—for which we miserable creatures have to suffer so much in this wild, agitated world. He who created me knows that I have done so in sincere love, for the conversion of their poor souls.

In the third place, he writes, “I have been obliged to clear our doctrine of your slander by the authority of the divine word—a doctrine you may twist among your followers by your crying, but which you cannot refute by the authority of the Scriptures, despite your boasting that you do.”

Answer. Can it be called slander to rebuke wrong according to the Spirit and word of God? Then not only I have slandered, but also Isaiah, Jeremiah and all the prophets, and Christ Jesus too, together with all his apostles. I have rebuked their cause according to the word of God, and by the grace of God have shown them that they are not the true messengers of God, nor their church the true one. But it will be hard for John A’Lasco to show that our doctrine—which is not ours, but Christ’s doctrine—is wrong, and that our rebuke according to the Scriptures is slander; and when it comes to proving before his God, who judges all things rightly, that his doctrine is right concerning the incarnation, the baptism of infants, the calling of their preachers, their separation, and the unrestrained, reckless life of his church, I fear that we will find plenty of philosophy, invention and coloring, but little scriptural power, foundation and truth. Indeed, kind reader, I am sure that if the violence of the world were ever restrained, as it certainly should be, we would soon see where the victory of the Scriptures would lie.

In the fourth place, he says, “If we prove our doctrine by the power of the divine word, then it will be plain that we were slandered while innocent, and our innocence will be made manifest.”

Answer. If he has proven his doctrine and sacraments right by the power of the divine word, as he boastfully asserts, I will acknowledge that I have rebuked them unreasonably and wrongfully in this respect. But it is nothing but comforting the poor people with falsehood and keeping them on the broad way with fictitious promises. Even if he could prove his doctrine and sacraments to be in agreement with the Scriptures—which, however, he cannot do—his cause would still not be half right; for the doctrine and sacraments are useless if the fruitful, active faith and the pious, blameless life are not there, for which purpose the doctrine was proclaimed and the sacraments ordained. And what kind of life is generally led by their followers, and also by the greater part of their preachers themselves, I leave to the judgment of those who can observe their daily conduct and walk and who have an understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

In the fifth place, he says, “If you had sent your writings to all of us, as you promised to do, we might have answered you alone; but you circulated them first among your own people before sending them to us.”

Answer. I do not remember promising them this; nor can I see why I should have made such a promise, since I had nothing to write but my own faith and foundation, which I desire to testify not only by writing in secret but also with my lifeblood before the whole world, if only the Lord strengthens and upholds me by his grace.

But as to his writing that I circulated it first among ourselves, I would say that he has said too much. For as soon as I had left them, I went to a secret place, as I have had to do these many years for the sake of the testimony of Christ and my conscience, simply put my faith and foundation into writing, and without any delay after our conversation sent it to them. However, out of respect, I handed it to M. H. G., who was at that time bailiff or burgomaster (mayor). The great Lord is my witness that this is the truth. And since it happened as I have related, how could I have circulated it among our people before it was sent to them, as he accuses me of doing? And even if I had done as he accuses me, were he and his followers wronged by it? For it is not my foundation alone, but the foundation and faith of us all, as many know.

But his own reason convinced him that it would seem unreasonable to the reader to write such an infamous, bitter book without cause; and therefore he had to pretend something, so that his writing against the mute Menno—who because of the great tyranny cannot answer before the world—might seem reasonable. But whether it will stand before the impartial judgment seat of Christ will be made manifest in his declaration. May the beloved Lord not count it as sin; for I know that I am not guilty.

In the sixth place, he writes, “Your followers were the reason I had to deal with you publicly; for they have steadily spread the report in West Friesland, and also in a great part of Holland, that you are free to teach your doctrine in our churches, and that we are certainly conquered and have nothing with which to answer.”

Answer. I never heard a word of this until I read it in his writing. If some of us have boasted in this way, as he writes (which I cannot believe), then it is evident that they did not speak the truth in this, but falsehood; and falsehood is a shameful thing—indeed, it is of the devil and destroys the soul, John 8, verses 45 and 55.

If he has it from hearsay, it was not right of him to listen to such partisans and liars, and to publish it in a book, as an everlasting record before all the world and to the great injury of his neighbors. But if he did it of his own accord and not at the persuasion of others, which I do not presume, then he dishonors his famous name and ruins his soul. For lying, I say, is a shameful thing, and will find no place in God’s city.

Again I say, I do not presume that he wrote this of his own accord, but I imagine that he was too eager to listen to the liar, too quick to hear, and too hasty to write. Be that as it may, I know that, according to Christian reasonableness and love, it does not apply to me, however much he may adorn it. The great Lord will make manifest in due time what each one of us seeks and pretends—indeed, maintains, teaches, does and defends.

In the seventh place, he accuses me and says “that I made light of two Latin syllogisms which he communicated to me; that I despised learning and skill in languages; that I upbraided them as philosophers and passed myself off as simply a theologian, by which I catch the unlearned and simple and gain great consideration for myself; that, however, my lack of excellence is not lowliness but rather ignorance. Indeed, he has set me forth in such colors that my memory, although, alas, not much to my honor, will perhaps remain among men as long as the world endures.”

Answer. The reason he applies these names to me is that I wrote to him and his supporters as follows: Let us not dispute these things with subtle syllogisms, nor with sharp human quibbles, for we do not profess them; but we oppose them only with the clear, convincing word, which cannot be twisted by eloquence nor broken by human invention. These are my words, in the year 1543, in my confession written to him and his preachers. Let those of a pious disposition now judge whether I deserve such bitter treatment. But I am aware that I did not earn this crown because of the words just mentioned, but for the sake of the poor, despised truth. Reader, do not misunderstand me. Never in my life have I despised learning and skill in languages; from my youth I have honored and loved them. Although, alas, I never acquired them, yet (thanks be to God) I am not so bereft of my senses that I should therefore despise or ridicule the knowledge of languages through which the precious word of divine grace came to our knowledge. I wish that all pious-minded persons possessed this knowledge, if only we would use it humbly to the praise of our God and the service of our neighbors, in the pure fear of God.

Is it not a shameful thing that they regard truth so little and continually try, though without any reserve, to cast such falsehood on me? Indeed, dear reader, if I were to repay evil with evil, as the law of nature teaches me, I would collect some falsehoods—some spoken and some written against me—of which neither he nor any other man can ever convict me. Whether this can be called just and right, I leave to the judgment of all impartial, reasonable minds.

Would to God that he and all our opponents would deal with me no differently than I deal with them; for I trust they do not desire my blood—at least the greater part of them. I rebuke and admonish them for all the shortcomings I see, as love for them requires, although they take it hard. But that I should write falsehoods against them—from this may the Lord keep me! For I am well aware from what impure fountain falsehood flows and what its end will be. I am also aware that it is not the seed from which we are to beget God’s children and gather a church to Christ. I would have them do the same (and not otherwise) if, being human, I should fail in some things: that they would admonish and rebuke me according to the truth; that they would uphold their truth (if they had any, which, alas, they do not) by the force of the Scriptures; and that they would leave the seed of the serpent to use its falsehood and the seed of Cain its violence, Genesis 3, verse 4.

But as to my ignorance, of which he so bitterly accuses me, I am not ashamed to acknowledge before all the world that I am not only ignorant but altogether unlearned and very little versed in the languages. Indeed, dear reader, I freely admit, as Socrates did, that as regards human skill and wisdom I know only one thing, and that is that I know nothing. But as regards heavenly wisdom, I have been taught so much by God, through the grace of the Lord, that I sincerely confess that my Redeemer and Savior, Christ Jesus, is the only and first begotten Son of God; that whoever believes in him has everlasting life; that he who does not believe is condemned; that a liar is of the devil; that “whoever hates his brother is a murderer”; that unless you repent you shall all perish; that “the wages of sin is death,” John 3, verse 8; First John 3, verse 15; Luke 13, verse 5; Romans 6, verse 23. And from this disregarded wisdom (eternal praise be to the Lord) I have gained so much fear in my poor soul that my earthly, carnal mind has been converted into a better one; and that I am grieved that I cannot walk in Christ Jesus with all my strength according to the will of God and be a sincere, blameless Christian, and that I cannot bring the whole world out of its hardened, ungodly state into a new, repentant, Christian life with the Spirit, power and word of the Lord. For this is my only joy and ardent desire: that we may rightly preach Christ Jesus according to his holy word, and that we may seek, fear, love and serve his holy name—indeed, that we may become the city of the living God, the glorious kingdom, to his honor, and the temple of his Holy Spirit, Second Corinthians 6, verse 16. [Note 2]

And this same wisdom, which produces such power and fruit, I esteem as the most worthy of all wisdom imaginable, even if it is taught and restored by an unlearned carter or coal carrier. Indeed, it is the only joy and desire of my afflicted heart, the only relief of my misery, and by the grace of God it will be to the end the glorious ornament and crown of my honor. Of this noble, highly learned wisdom and philosophy read in Solomon’s Proverbs, and also in Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon, and you will find what its proper virtue, work and power are.

See, reader: for the sake of this philosophic sweetness, honor, virtue, fruit, love and beauty, which I did not learn from famous doctors nor in the universities, and for the sake of filling my soul with its living power, I have chosen rather to be the ignorant and unlearned fool of the world, so that I may be found wise before my God, than to be one of the most famous of the world and at last be found a fool before the wise God. And this is my short answer and defense against his charges and bitter upbraidings.

I say again that I wrote the words “subtle syllogism” and “sharp quibbles” in the simplicity of my heart, without in any way despising learning, and that I did not mean by them to despise or belittle anyone. I praise learning when it is rightly used to the glory of God. But above all I praise the humble, virtuous knowledge and wisdom which is from above, for it will never perish, but will remain in glorious honor with all the pious into eternal life.

This, now, is the first part of this book. I would have preferred to remain silent about these things if they had not been published to embitter some, to hinder the word, and to afflict the God-fearing. But as it is, circumstances have made it necessary for me to speak. May the beloved Lord grant us his grace. Amen.