He asked us in regard to the jailer and his household, whether there were no infants there.
_Ans._ “No.”
_Priest._ “How do you know it?”
_Adrian._ “It is written there: The jailer rejoiced with all his house, that he had become a believer in Christ Jesus. Infants cannot rejoice in faith; for they have no faith.” Then he was at his wit’s end again. He fared likewise in regard to Lydia, the seller of purple.
_Priest._ “When I was young, my faith was as perfect as it is now.”
_Adrian._ “What did you say then?”
He made no reply. He also said: “When I was born, I had my hand, and was not conscious of it; so also, my faith, which was hid in me; and the original sin which I had was taken away through the regeneration of the water which takes place in the font.” I asked him whether the water had been crucified for him, or Christ.
_Priest._ “Christ.”
_Adrian._ “And yet you seek your salvation in the water?” He was silent. Dirk Jans then asked him where it was written that bells ought to be baptized.
_Priest._ “This is instituted by the holy church.” He also asked him concerning the reading of mass. He replied that he had God in the mass, corporeally in flesh and blood. I then told him that he was a deceiver.
_Priest._ “Did not God say: ‘Take, eat; this is my body; and drink, this is my blood, and as often as you eat this bread, ye do shew the Lord’s death?’”
On this point we had much discussion. I then asked him whether he had read 1 Tim. 4?
_Priest._ “Yes.”
Thereupon I inquired as to whether he had brought a Testament with him.
_Priest._ “Yes, here is a Latin Testament.”
_Adrian._ “We have not studied in Latin universities, but in the highly celebrated school of the gospel, of which the Spirit of God is teacher.” John 16:13.
He said he could read it in Dutch. He then read the passage relating to the forbidding to marry, and the commanding to abstain from meats. 1 Timothy 4:3. I asked him concerning whom this was spoken. He replied that he did not know.
_Adrian._ “If you are a teacher you ought to know this?”
_Priest._ “It relates to the end of the world.”
_Adrian._ “It speaks there of the latter times; now do you mean to say that these are not the latter times?”
Upon this he replied nothing, but said that he had not forbidden marriage, nor meats.
We said: “Your father, the Pope, has done it, and you exerted yourselves with Haman to obtain mandates to put us and our people to death, and contributed in giving the Emperor ten thousand pounds of silver?”
_Priest._ “I did not.”
_Adrian._ “Are you Christians? Christians ought not to persecute any one.”
_Priest._ “We do not persecute you.”
I then asked him, whether the Christian church persecuted, or suffered persecution.
_Priest._ “It suffers persecution.”
I asked him wherein he suffered persecution, whether we were not the ones that suffer persecution.
_Priest._ “We suffer persecution from the devil.”
We then demanded to know where it was written that we might be put to death for our faith. He replied that it was ordained on account of the evil sects. We said: “We belong to no sect.”
_Priest._ “It is suspected that it might also be the case with you.”
Thereupon Dirk Jans said: “Is a man hanged because he is suspected of having stolen, though he has not done so? So neither may we be put to death before we are convicted.”
The priest finally went away. We had silenced him in many things concerning which he had no understanding. I also said that he was one of those who rob God of his glory by their confession, presuming to forgive sins. Herein he was likewise defeated, whereupon he went away. I hope that we shall soon offer up our sacrifice together.