THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

erned, I freely confess that I am a poor sinner, that I was conceived in sin (Psalm 51), was born of sinful seed, and with David say that my sin is ever before me. My thoughts, words and deeds convict me of this. With Paul, I confess that no good dwells in my flesh. Nevertheless, of this I may boast in my weakness: if the wicked world would listen to our doctrine— which is not ours, but Christ’s— with patience and submissive- ly follow the same in a true fear of God, then a better and more Christian world would without a doubt arise than is now, unfortunately, the case. I thank my God who gave me grace that I desire to deliver the whole world from its ungodly and evil nature and win it to Christ, even at the cost of my own blood. 19 I wish to fear my God with all my heart, to love and seek to serve Him, to do that which is right and good before Him and be an unblamable and pious Christian. This is all that I ask of His grace. I also hope, by the Lord’s help, that no one in the whole world may with truth accuse me of a covetous and luxurious life. Money and riches I do not possess, nor do I desire them, although some, from a perverted heart, say that I eat more roast meat than they do seethed; that I drink more wine than they do beer. My Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, was also called a winebibber and a glutton by the perverse. I trust that through the grace of God I am innocent in this matter, and stand acquitted before God. He who purchased me with the blood of His love, and called me, who am unworthy, to His service, knows me, and He knows that I seek neither wealth nor possessions, neither luxury nor ease upon earth, but only the praise of my Lord, my salvation and that of many others. Because of this, I with my poor, weak wife [Gertrude] and small children endured excessive anxiety, oppression, affliction, misery, and persecution for eighteen years so that I have been forced to live a life of misery and fear. Indeed, while the preachers [of the ruling churches] repose on soft beds and cushions, we generally have to hide ourselves in secret nooks and crannies. While they openly make merry at weddings etc., with pipe, drum and lute, we have to be on our guard when a dog barks for fear the arresting officer has arrived. While everyone greets them as doctors and masters, 20 we have to tolerate being called Anabaptists, hedge-preachers, deceivers, and heretics, and be greeted in the name of the devil. In short, while they are gloriously 10 ORIGINS rewarded for their services with large incomes and good times, our recompense and portion from them is fire, sword, and death. Behold, my faithful reader, in such fear and poverty, misery and fear of death have I, wretched man, unchangingly performed the service of the Lord to this hour. And I hope through His grace to perform it to His glory as long as I linger in this tabernacle. b ) “What I and my faithful colleagues have sought or could have sought i