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

f the earlier-mentioned Becker, mentioned that many Mennonites have never come further than to cry, ‘Lord, have mercy I’ when the Lord has already shown mercy and sent his Son in whom He wishes to give us all things, from whom we have all things as soon as we believe. Then another passage was selected, namely Psalm 87, and interpreted: how the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning a joyful time when there would be dancing, shouts of joy and the like, were to be understood quite literally as applying to the new covenant and had not been annulled by Christ. When we left, they told us quite openly that at times they conducted their worship service in a manner even livelier than this, with louder cries, music and leaping, as they are moved in a greater or lesser measure by the Spirit of God. Taken in general, we observed a freer movement than is customary in our worship services, but aside from the unusual expressions of joy, there was nothing that we found offensive. Church ministers: Aron Rempel [Schoensee], Franz Isaak, Bernhard Harder. Church members: Jakob Wiebe, Gerhard Wieler, Komelius Knelsen, Jakob Franz, Heinrich Nickel, Gerhard Loewen.” f) Second set of Minutes. “On July 30, 1861, we attended a meeting of Mennonites who have withdrawn from our churches in the home of N. Strauss in Waldheim. For the opening they sang the song, ‘Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying’ ( Olaubensstimme , No. 228). When the song was ended, they all stood for the prayer, which was loudly spoken by their minister, Jacob Becker, and was chiefly an expression of thanks, that God is betrothed to us for eternity and through faith, and that he wants to be wed to us in righteousness, justice, grace and mercy, and that we will one day recognize the Lord. Hosea 2:19, 20. Thereafter Becker read I Peter 1 and noted that we have already been bom anew to a living hope, which is from faith. That verse 5 was to them a quite extraordinary comfort, was not due solely to the explanations and instruction of their 396 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH Minister Becker, for a most unusual joy radiated from nearly every face. It was also noted that the true, genuine joy and true love to the One who first loved us, could only really be experienced when we arrived in that eternal bliss, and that faith would only really be proven through trial. From verses 10, 11, and 12, attention was drawn to the blessedness of the new covenant, since it is in this that we enjoy the f ulfillm ent of what the old covenant promised; though they did not forget to remind themselves concerning the words of the Apostle in 2 Tim. 3:12, that is, that all who wish to participate in this New Testament blessedness, or as the Apostle says, ‘desire to live a godly life in Christ,’ will be persecuted, and to encourage one another confidently to venture forth trusting Christ and His Word. They then sang, ‘I Will Venture Forth’ (Glaubensstimme, No. 362) and two brethren