PREFACE.

Although I believed, after reading the book recently published by D. KoelmanJacobus Koelman (1632–1695) was a Dutch minister who initially sympathized with the Labadists but later became one of their most vocal critics. against us, that something ought to be answered in response, I nevertheless remained in hesitation for some time afterward as to whether I should do so. Many assured us from various sides that the author had done more harm to himself than he was capable of doing to those against whom he wrote, and that there was no likelihood that souls who had any knowledge of the truths that God makes us profess, and of the life we lead through His grace, would be brought to wavering by such a writingoriginal: "Geschrift", or be hindered or prevented in their attraction to this Work of the Lord and the union of their hearts with it.

And since the manner in which D. Koelman chose to declare himself against us is somewhat strange, and because if one were to answer him with all the force that the truth would allow—even grant us to use—it would only embitter him further and cause him to write again in a manner that would be even less edifying; so I can say that I had some difficulty in coming to the decision we have now made. I, for my part, would just as gladly have followed the advice of some of our friends, who counseled us that we should not spend our time refuting things that did not seem to require it.

Nevertheless, because on this occasion I felt rising in my heart once again the desire I have long held—to treat somewhat more fully and expressly certain points and truths that the Lord makes us embrace, and which need to be better known—and because some of our friends, and in particular D. CopperJohannes Copper was a former minister at Steenwijk who joined the Labadist community., wrote to me that they believed it would be good if something came to light against the book of D. Koelman, and against the letters added to it to give it more weight and authority, I thought that these two matters together