Martyrs Mirror 1293Of the incarnation of the Son of God

We believe and confess, that God, willing to show His very great love to the human race (who through sin had fallen into death and into much corruption), and to perform by the deed His gracious promises made to the fathers ( Gen. 3:15 ; 12:3 ; 22:18 ; Deut. 18:18 ), sent to this purpose His only ( John 3:16 ), dear ( Luke 9:35 ), and beloved Son ( Matthew 3:17 ), who was from eternity ( Heb. 1:2 ), by whom all things were created and made ( Col. 1:16 ; Heb. 1 ), into this world ( John 3:17 ; 1 John 4:9 ), who gladly obeyed the will of His Father ( Ps. 40:8 : Heb. 10:7 ), and came from above ( John 3:31 ; 8:23 ), from heaven (3:13; 6: 62), came forth from His Father (16:28), leaving His divine glory (17:5), form ( Phil. 2:6 ), and riches ( II Cor. 8:9 ), descended ( Eph. 4:9 ), came into this world ( John 16:28 ), so that the virgin Mary, by the power of the Most High ( Luke 1

35), conceived Him ( Isa. 7:14 ; Matt. 1:23 ; Luke 2:7 ), so that also the same, and no other, was born of her ( Isa. 7 ; Matthew 1:25 ; Luke 1 ; Gal. 4:4 ). For although Mary bore the Son of God in another form, than in which He was with the Father before the foundation of the world; yet it is nevertheless the same, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, Micah 5:2 ; Isa. 9:6 . For the Word or Son became flesh. John 1:14 . Yea, He that was like unto God, became like another man. Phil. 2:7 . The Son of God appeared in the form of sinful flesh ( Romans 8:3 ), and God was manifested in the flesh ( I Timothy 3:16 ), so that the second man Christ is the Lord Himself from heaven. I Cor. 15:47 . Hence that which the apostles saw in Christ, with their eyes, heard with their ears, and handled with their hands, was of the Word of life; so that they saw that eternal life which was with the Father. 1 John 1 . For God brought His first begotten Son into the world, whom all angels and men must worship. Heb. 1:6 ; Phil. 2:10 . And when we thus believe, we have in our favor the testimony of God and of all the righteous, who with one accord unanimously exclaim: that this visible man Christ is the Son of God ( Matt. 3:17 ; John 1:2 ; 9:37 ; 11:27 ; Matt. 16:16 ; I John 4:10 ; 5:5 ), who dwelt among men ( John 1:14 ; Zech. 2:10 ; Bar. 3:37 ), and whom the high priests, because He confessed Himself to be the Son of God, also condemned to death. Mark 14:64 ; John 18:35 . For, not knowing Him, they nailed the Lord of glory, that is the Lord from heaven, to the cross. I ~Cor. 2:8; 15:47. There the Son of the living God suffered ( Heb. 5:8 ), whom God did not spare ( Rom. 8:32 ), but delivered Him up for the life of the world ( John 3:16 ; I John 4:14 ), to the most ignominious death of the cross. Phil. 2:8 . There the Son of God shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of our sins ( Acts 20:28 ; Col. 1:14 ; I John 1:7 ; Rev. 1:5 ); He by whom God made the worlds, by Himself purged our sins. Heb. 1:2 , 3 . He was buried, and the third day was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. I Cor. 15:12 ; Acts 3:26 ; Rom. 6:4 ; I Thess. 1:10 . He ascended up to where He was before. John 3:13 ; 6:62 ; 16:28 ; Eph. 4:8 ; I Tim. 3:16 . He is sitting there at the right hand of the Majesty of His Father ( Eph. 1:20 ; Heb. 1:3 ), whence He shall come in the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the dead. Matt. 24:30 ; Acts 10:42 ; Rev. 1:7 .

The final cause of the sending, advent, incarnation, and suffering and death of the only begotten Son of God in this world, was to save sinners ( I Tim. 1:15 ; Matt. 18:11 ), or to reconcile the sinful world to God the Father, John 3:17 ; I John 2:2 ; II Cor. 5:19 . Hence He is also the only foundation ( I Cor. 3:11 ), the only door to the Father ( John 10 ), the only way to eternal life ( John 14 : 6), and the only meritorious cause of justification ( Acts 13:38 ; Rom. 3:24 ), and of eternal salvation; for there is salvation in no other, as the apostle Peter says, neither is there any other name under heaven given among men, whereby they must be saved, than in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 . To Him be praise, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This was subscribed by twenty ministers of the Anabaptists (who are all well known), in the name of their churches; as of Amsterdam, Haerlem, Leyden, Delft, Rotterdam, Dergoude, Schiedam, Bommel, Blockzijl, etc.

This confession of faith, concerning the articles about God and the incarnation of the Son of God, etc., having been delivered to the deputies of the Court of Holland, produced satisfaction with their high excellencies, and hence the establishment of greater peace and liberty for the Anabaptists in said country, although to the dissatisfaction of those who, through bitterness, had first endeavored to disturb their peace, and, if they could have succeeded to cause an oppression or persecution of them.

NOTE. Just in time two manuscript tracts, in the Swiss language, were sent to us, both of them having been sent before this date, from the Swiss parts, to divers churches of our fellow believers, but principally to those of Amsterdam, at the request and in the name of some of the oppressed brethren; also in general, of the ministers and elders of the church in the Palatinate and Alsace.

The first was written and completed on the 15th of September, 1645, and bears the signature of Jeremiah Mangold.

The second, in the month of February, 1658, by M. Meyli.

These two tracts, both of them written with one design and purpose, and sent to us, shall aid us in the carrying out of the work we have undertaken; namely, to extend the history of the holy martyrs who suffered for our common Christian faith, to this our present time, and bring it to a completion.

In order to do this in the best manner, and to bring these matters (which in one tract are described very diffusely, and in the other, very briefly, and sometimes abruptly), into a convenient form or shape, we shall not grudge the labor of treating them from their first rise, and to follow up the matters chronologically (though they are described indiscriminately), and to indicate each time, in order that no error be made, as to which tract from which we have taken it.