They said that infants were born in original sin. I said: “Christ made us free, and called the children to him, declaring that to such belongs the kingdom of God.” _Priest._ “Flesh or blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; hence we must be born of water and of the Spirit: therefore it follows that infants must be baptized, if they are to be regenerated and inherit the kingdom of God.” _Reytse._ “Children are in the grace of God as long as they are in their ignorance, and they are washed through the blood of Christ; hence baptism in their case is vain and to no purpose.” _Priest._ “How do you understand regeneration?” _Reytse._ “A man must truly repent and amend his life, with a contrite heart confess his sins before God, that he is sincerely sorry for them, and with confidence call to God for forgiveness, and thus believe in God’s word and submit to it in all obedience; upon such confession he is to receive baptism for the remission of sins; this certainly cannot be done by infants.” _Priest._ “Nevertheless, infants must be baptized; for the apostles baptized entire households, and there doubtless, were also children.” _Reytse._ “The house of Stephanus addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, which no children can do.” (1 Cor. 16:15). They then asserted that first the apostles, and after them the holy fathers, had instituted it, fifteen hundred years ago. I said that the Pope had instituted it, who wanted to improve on Christ.
Then they were mad, and said that I was seduced, and should plunge my soul and body into perdition. I said they might take my life, but my soul I should save unto life eternal. _Priest._ “What do you think of the holy Roman Church?” _Reytse._ “I do not believe in it.” _Priest._ “Do you not believe that the priests can forgive sin?” _Reytse._ “No; for it is God alone that can forgive sin.” This they wrote down. _Priest._ “Do you not believe that God’s flesh and blood are in the bread which we break?” _Reytse._ “No.” _Priest._ “This is clear enough; for Christ says: ‘Take, eat; this is my body;’ this you cannot contradict.” _Reytse._ “Christ gave his disciples bread to eat and wine to drink, as the evangelists testify, and not his body, for he still sat there bodily at the table with them. And to his disciples who understood his words carnally, as you do, and murmured at it, he said: ‘The flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ John 6:63. His flesh and blood he gave as a redemption for many, and not that his flesh is to be eaten. He is sitting at the right hand of God his almighty Father, and shall not come thence, before he shall judge the quick and the dead; hence he shall not come under your teeth.” _Priest._ “Nevertheless Paul says: The bread which we break, is it not the body of Christ? and the cup which we bless, is it not the blood of Christ? hence we must believe that God’s flesh and blood are in the holy sacrament.” _Reytse._ “I have not read of a sacrament, but of the Lord’s Supper; this I indeed want to observe with the church of God, but yours I do not desire.”
They said much more with regard to it, which is too lengthy for me to relate. They esteemed the sacrament so highly, that whenever they name it, they raise their caps, and they looked sharply at me, because I would not show it reverence too. They also asked me whether I did not believe that Christ had received flesh and blood from Mary. I said that Christ came by his divine power out of heaven, was conceived in Mary through the Holy Ghost, and born of her, and took upon him the form of a servant, and became like unto us in all things, except sin, so that he was not born of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh, and did not receive flesh or blood from Mary, which came to pass in such a manner, that Mary at first could not understand it herself, for she asked the angel: How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? The angel answered her: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:34,35. Against this they did not say much. _Priest._ “Do you not believe that the saints in heaven are to be honored and worshiped?” _Reytse._ “I indeed desire to honor the saints, for men are honored; but not to worship them. But I want to worship God alone, for it is written: ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’” Matt. 4:10. _Priest._ “What do you believe of purgatory?” _Reytse._ “I have not read that there is a purgatory; where is it written?” _Priest._ “In the books of the Maccabees.”