soul and body, to the Lord and committed myself to his grace, and commenced, according to the contents of his holy word, to teach, and to baptize, to labor in the vineyard of the Lord with my limited talents, to build up his holy city and temple, and to repair the dilapidated walls. The great and mighty God has made known the word of true repentance-the word of his grace and power, together with the salutary use of his holy sacraments, through our insignificant service and unlearned writings, together with the service, labor and help of our faithful brethren in many towns and countries. The Lord made the condition of his churches glorious, and accompanied them with such a subduing power that many exalted and proud hearts were not only humbled, the unclean not only purified, the drunkard made sober, the avaricious benevolent, the ferocious mild, and the impious pious; but they also faithfully renounced their possessions and blood, bodies and lives, for the testimony of Jesus, as may daily be seen. These are not the fruits and evidences of false doctrines, where God is not a co-worker. Neither could they endure so long under such grievous misery and oppressive crosses, were it not the power and word of the Almighty which sustains them. Yea more, the Lord endued them with such grace and wisdom, as Christ has promised to all his children in their trials, so that all the worldly-wise and renowned teachers, together with the blood-guilty daring tyrants, who, O God, boast that they are Christians, were vanquished and abashed by these invincible champions and witnesses of Christ. Those ferocious persons knew of no other weapons or refuge to which to resort than those of banishing, seizing, punishing, burning, murdering and destroying, even as has always been the custom of the old serpent, from the beginning, and as may be daily witnes sed in many places of our Netherlands.

Behold these are our calling, our doctrine and fruits of our practice; on account of which we are so grievously slandered and so malevolently persecuted; whether or not all the prophets, apostles, and faithful servants of God have endured similar sufferings on account of their faithfulness, we willingly leave all the pious to be judges.

But as much as regards my poor, weak and imperfect life, I freely confess, that I am a poor wretched sinner, conceived of sinful seed in sin, and sinfully brought forth. I can say with David, "That my sins are ever before me. My thoughts

words and actions condemn me." I see with holy Paul, "That nothing good dwells in my flesh." Nevertheless, I must be allowed to boast this much in my weakness, if this wicked desolate world would hear our doctrine, (not ours, but the doctrine of Christ,) with patience and follow it implicitly, in the fear of God, there would soon be another kind of christianity than is, alas! existing now.

I thank God, who has made me willing with holy Paul, to hate the evil, and follow the good; and willingly would I, with my own blood, reclaim the wicked world from ungodly works, and gain it to Christ. Through the grace of God, it is all my desire to fear the Lord with all my heart; to love, seck and serve him, to do fight before him, and be an unblamable godly christian.

I hope through the Lord's mercy and assistance, that no one upon earth may have ground to accuse me of leading an avaricious and luxurious life. Money and affluence I have not-I desire them not, although alas, some from a perverted heart, say that I eat more roasted than they do seethed; and drink more wine than they do beer. My Lord and master, Jesus Christ, was also called a winebibber, and a glutton. I trust, that through the grace of the Lord, 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 knows that I seek not wealth nor luxury nor ease, but only the praise of the Lord, my salvation, and the souls of those on whose account I, with my poor weak wife and children, had to endure for eighteen years, so much affliction and persecution. Every where around me were fears and dangers; yea when the ministers repose on easy beds and downy pillows, we have to conceal ourselves in secret. When they at weddings, pipe and beat the tambour and vaunt loudly, we must look out, when the dogs bark, lest the captors be at hand. Whilst they are saluted as doctors, lords and teachers by every one, we have to hear that we are Ana-baptists, hedge preachers, doceivers and heretics, and must be saluted in the name of the devil. In short, whilst they are gloriously rewarded for their services with large incomes and easy times, our recompense and portion must be fire, sword and death.

Behold my faithful readers in such fear, poverty, misery and danger of death, have I wretched man, performed to this hour,

without change, the service of the Lord, and I hope through his grace to continue therein to his glory, as long as I remain in this earthly tabernacle. What I and my co-workers have sought in performing our arduous duties, is apparent to all the well disposed, who may readily judge from the works and their. fraits.

I will here humbly entreat the reader for Jesus's sake, to accept in love, this my confession in relation to my illumination, conversion and calling, and to meditate thereon. I have made it on account of urgent necessity; because I was slandered by the clergy, and am accused without foundation of truth, of being called and ordained to the service of a seditious and heretical sect. He that feareth God, let him read and i judge. MENNO SIMON.

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OF THE DAY OF GRACE.

In the first place we teach, (John 3,) what Jesus, the teacher from heaven, the oracle and word of the Most High God, himself, taught, that now is the time of grace, a time to awaken from the sleep of our abominable sins, (Rom, 13,) and obtain an upright, converted, renewed, contrite and repenting heart, and cordially to lament before God, our past profligate and dissolute course of life. And now is the time, in the fear of God, to crucify and mortify our depraved, sinful flesh, temper and nature and arise with Christ into a new, righteous, and penitent life and conduct. (Eph. 4; Gal. 5; Rom. 6; Mark 1.) The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the Gospel.

The time is fulfilled, that is, the promised day of grace approaches the time for the appearing of the promised seed, the time of redemption, the time of that offering by which all things were to be reconciled in heaven and upon earth. (Gen. 3; Čol. 1; Eph. 1.)-The time for the consummation of all the literal, and figurative transactions into new, spiritual and abiding truth. The time for which the fathers, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, David, Daniel, &c. with all the patriarchs and prophets, looked and hoped with many tears. They saw this time, by faith, from afar, and drew their comfort and hopes therefrom. (Heb. 11.) Yea, it was to them such a great and pleasing consolation, that good old Simeon desired life no longer, when he beheld the time and saw the Redeemer. He said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people.

The time is fulfilled. The predictions of the prophets and promises of the fathers, are performed. The sworn oath is accomplished-Israel has obtained its David, its Prince and Chief. He has arisen as a mighty one to prepare his way. (Ps.2; Isa. 9; Jer, 23, 30, 33; Hos. 3.) His going forth is