A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

l faith was a gradual process. Already in 1525 he had serious doubts about the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation when he handled the bread and wine in the Mass. At first he regarded these doubts as temptations from the devil, who wanted to separate him from his faith. "Finally," Menno writes, "I got the idea to examine the New Testament diligently. I had not gone very far when I discovered that we were deceived. ..." 13 This discovery had a profound effect on Menno; he became a diligent student of the Scriptures and a genuine biblicist in his theology. Several years later, when Menno heard of the beheading of Sicke Freriks at Leeuwarden because of rebaptism, he was deeply troubled. Thus far he had never doubted the validity of infant baptism. Again he turned to the New Testment for light, but he found no justification for this practice. Since Luther's writings had been a help to him in accepting the Sola Scriptura principle, he consulted Luther on this question, and somewhat later also Bucer and Bullinger. 14 Menno found that these reformers not only differed from one another in their justification of the doctrine of infant baptism, but also deviated from the plain teaching of the New Testament. Although he was convinced that his church was in error on two important teachings of Scripture, Menno still hesitated to break with Rome. On the one hand stood his promotion to a more honorable and lucrative position in Witmarsum. On the other hand, there was the odium of Muenster which had brought the Anabaptists into general disrepute. In all probability, these were the main reasons for his vacillation and delay. For several years Menno fought on two theological fronts: he exposed the errors of Rome and also repudiated the violence of Muenster. The tragic death of his brother Peter probably provided the final impulse to take a firm stand for his scriptural convictions. Peter became involved with a fanatical group of Anabap- tists at Bolsward who had taken to the sword in self-defense. In a public statement on January 30, 1536, Menno expressed his new commitment to the cause of Christ, and then went into hiding with the help of the peaceful Anabaptists with whom he was in basic agreement. Like the Apostle Paul, who withdrew to Arabia after his SPIRITUAL HEIRS OF THE EARLY ANABAPTISTS 9 2. Menno Simons 10 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH conversion, Menno felt the need for prayer, meditation, Scripture study and a reorientation in his conception of the nature of the church. At the end of this year of preparation he was visited by a delegation of seven or eight men who asked him to become leader and pastor of their people. In his "Reply to Gellius Faber," Menno gives a moving account of his inward struggle in accepting this call. 15 After counting the cost of leading an outlawed persecuted group, he finally consented to serve and was ordained by Obbe Philips, who had baptized