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

e will of God. And those whom he predestined he also called ; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified, Rom. 8:27-30. a) "They endeavor to build a church to suit their needs based entirely on the dictates of men. b) “This has not been a point of discussion with us. a) “They reject the idea that holy communion can be received only from the hands of the clergy. They claim to break communion bread according to the directives of the apostles. b) "Holy communion is received and celebrated amongst us from the hand of our elected elders or ministers or anyone else who has been designated for this purpose, with the words and the manner which the Savior himself used and ordered, as Paul himself clearly teaches, I Cor. 11:23-32. a) "At public receptions or banquets a new type of co mmuni on has been introduced: each guest is provided with bread and wine. They break the bread together, drink wine, and sing psalms. b) "Except for what was described above, no other type of communion service is practiced in our church. Psalms are sung at our banquets in praise of God, according to Ephesians 5:10, etc. a) “The distribution of the bread and the wine at the celebration of the communion service is accompanied with the words : Take, eat and drink and proclaim herewith the Lord’s death! 332 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH b) “The celebration of the communion is done according to the words of our Lord Jesus as written in Luke 22 : 19-20 : And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you.’ And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’ a) “They confess their sins in a loud voice. b) “This does not take place. a) “A congregation commissions prophets with the words ‘Peace be unto you,’ to go by two’s to preach and baptize. b) “It is not known how many evangelists, who are found worthy to do the Lord’s work, are sent out. However, when evangelists are commissioned, they are sent out with prayer, good wishes, and probably also with words such as ‘Peace be unto you.’ a) "Once a week after the sermon there is dancing in the church. b) “The worldly dance is considered sinful by us. Exceptionally, one or another may dance to express the great joy that has come to him through the grace of Christ— as David danced 125 for joy before the Ark of the Covenant without having taken dancing lessons, II Sam. 6:14. a) “Heavy dr inkin g is punishable with death; the same penalty also applies for such acts as the stealing of ice. b) “No drunkards or thieves are allowed to be accepted into our fellowship. And if someone amongst us becomes intoxicated or steals and does not obey in spite of all the admonitions of the brethren, he is excommunicated from the brotherhood according to Ephesians 5:11, 17-18, and we have nothing more