The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660 (part 10 of 13)

The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660 (part 10 of 13)

Whereas Hendrik van Maestricht, at the time when the boat, loaded with Anabaptists, was about to sail to Geelmuyden, has joined the sect of the Anabaptists, by the imposition of the hand, performed on him by one Claes Enkhuysen, and has since allied himself and kept fellowship with said people, conversed with them at different places, and advised and induced several others to join the aforesaid sect, contrary to the decrees ordained and caused to be published by his Imperial Majesty our gracious lord against the aforesaid sect and its adherents, without that the aforesaid Hendrik has, improved the time of grace, but rejected it; therefore, my lords the judges, having heard the demand made by the Bailiff in behalf of his Imperial Majesty, against the aforesaid Hendrik, together with his answer and confession, and having maturely considered the circumstances of this case, have condemned the aforesaid Hendrik van Maestricht by sentence, to be executed with the sword and put to death by the executioner, and his body to be placed upon a wheel, and his head upon a stake, unless it be that the lords, out of grace, be pleased to grant him the church yard; which sentence was afterwards executed by the executioner. Done on the 10th of June, A. D. 1536, in the presence of the Bailiff, all the Burgomasters excepted, Cornelis Buyk, Syverts, Claes Gerritsse, Mattheus Claes Doeden, Jan Ryser Janssen, Pieter Willemsse Kantert, and Symon Marttensse Dircx, judges.

Extract as above, Fol. 77. verso.

Whereas Alberts Reyers, alias Oldeknecht, born at Bolswaert, in Friesland, has for several years resorted to the society, intercourse and fellowship of persons tainted with heresy and evil doctrines, and has been found with them in divers conventicles, and has also held such in his own dwelling, where the writings and sacraments of the holy church, and the articles of the holy Christian faith were subjected to improper disputation, teaching and treatment, so that the aforementioned Albert, having become infected thereby, spoke and believed evilly of the holy sacrament of the altar and other sacraments; also of the ordinances and customs of the holy church, to the scandal of good Christians, contrary to the holy Christian faith, and the decrees and edicts of his Imperial Majesty our gracious lord; therefore, the judges, having heard the demand made by my lord the Bailiff against the aforementioned Albert Reyers, together with his answer and confession, and having duly considered the circumstances of this case, have condemned said Albert, according to the aforesaid decrees, by sentence, to be executed with the sword and put to death by the executioner, and his body afterwards to be placed on a wheel, and his head upon a stake; and, furthermore, declare his property confiscated to the sum of one hundred pounds, according to the privileges of this city. So done on the 12th day of April, in the year 1537, in presence of the Bailiff, Claes Gerritsse Deymans and Gerrit Meeuwess, Burgomasters, and Gerrit Meeuwess and all the judges.

Extract as above, Fol. 77. verso.

Whereas Andries Harmans of Gelre, has undertaken at different times and places to dispute concerning the Scriptures, and to hold conventicles, where the Scriptures, and the sacraments and ordinances of the holy church were subjected to improper teaching and treatment, whereby the aforesaid Andries, having fallen into error and heresy, also taught these views to others, and tainted them therewith, and has also for a certain time spoken and believed evilly and heretically, and does still believe so, concerning the holy sacrament of the altar, and other sacraments of the holy church, contrary to the holy Christian faith, and against the decrees of his Imperial Majesty our gracious lord; therefore, the judges, having heard the demand made by my lord the bailiff against the aforesaid Andries, together with his answer and confession, and having maturely considered the circumstances of his misdemeanors, condemn said Andries, according to the aforementioned decrees, to be executed with the sword and put to death by the executioner, and afterwards his body to be placed upon a wheel, and his head upon a stake, for an example to others; and furthermore, declare his property confiscated for the benefit of the lord, to the sum of one hundred pounds, according to the privileges of this city. So done on the 12th of April 1537, in presence of the Bailiff, Claes Gerrit Deymans and Gerrit Andries, Burgomasters, and all the judges.

This execution was performed by the executioner immediately after the sentence was pronounced.

Extract as above, Fol. 78. verso.

Whereas Thymon Hendricx of Campen, three years ago or thereabouts, was rebaptized, and entered into the covenant and heresy of the Anabaptists, holding pernicious views concerning the holy Christian faith, and the sacraments and ordinances of the holy church contrary to the truth of the holy faith and against the decrees published in regard to this, by his Imperial Majesty our gracious lord, therefore, the judges having heard the demand made by the Bailiff of this city, in behalf of his Imperial Majesty against the aforementioned Thymon Hendricx soon, together with his answer and confession, and having duly considered the circumstances of the aforesaid case, condemn said Thymon, according to the aforementioned decrees, by sentence, to be executed with the sword and put to death by the executioner, and his body afterwards to be put upon a wheel, and his head upon a stake, for an example to others; and, furthermore, declare his property confiscated for the benefit of the lord. So done on the 12th of April 1537, in the presence of the Bailiff, Claes Gerrit Deymans and Gerritt Andries, Burgomasters, and all the judges.

This execution was performed by the executioner immediately after the sentence was pronounced.

Extract as above, Fol. 93.

Whereas Jan Janssen van dem Berg in the country of Cleves, a year ago or thereabouts, was rebaptized in the city of Delft, by one Claes with the lame hand and has entered into the covenant and heresy of the Anabaptists, holding pernicious views concerning the holy Christian faith, and the sacraments and ordinances of the holy church, contrary to the truth of the holy faith, and against the decrees emitted in regard to this by his Imperial Majesty our gracious lord; therefore, the judges, having heard the demand made by the Bailiff of this city in behalf of his Imperial Majesty, against the aforementioned Janssen, together with his answer and confession, and having duly considered the circumstances of the aforesaid case, condemn said Jan Janssen, according to the aforesaid decrees, by sentence, to be executed and put to death by the executioner, and his body then to be put upon a wheel, and his head upon a stake, for an example to others; and furthermore, declare his property confiscated for the benefit of the lord. Done on the 7th of July, A. D. 1539, in the presence of all the Burgomasters, Joost Buyk Sybrant, Jan Willemss, Albert Dirksen, Willem Stitchel, and Floris Floriss.

ELEVEN BRETHREN AND A SISTER, AT ANTWERP; HARMAN TIMMERMAN, JAN VAN HASEBROECK, PIETER VERLONGE, GERRIT VAN MANDEL, JAN VAN MANDEL, JAN DE SCHAPER, JAN WILJOOT, JAN VAN DOORNICK, WILLEM VAN POPERINGE, MAEYKEN HIS WIFE, JAN KOOPMAN, HANS HIS SERVANT; A. D. 1569.

In the year 1569, at Antwerp, there was apprehended, examined, tortured and finally sentenced to death, for living according to the word of God, and the testimony of the truth, twelve pious Christians, namely, Harman Timmerman, Jan van Hasebroeck, Pieter Verlonge, Gerrit van Mandel, Jan van Mandel, Jan de Schaper, Jan Wiljoot, Jan van Doornick, Willem van Poperinge, Maeyken, his wife, Jan Koopman, and Hans his servant. One of them, however, died in prison, from the effects of the torture. Seven were burned alive before Easter, their mouths having been screwed together with screws; and the last mentioned four, in like manner, on the 20th of May of said year.

Here follows a brief yet thorough and Christian confession of faith, of the one Being, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and of the eternal Godhead of Christ the Son of God; also of the incarnation, visibleness, suffering and death of the eternal and only begotten Son of the living God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; which, by this here mentioned hero and witness of Jesus, Herman Timmerman, was written as an answer and refutation to a letter that had been sent him; and to which he so effectually testified and confirmed with, his blood and death. We have added the same here, for the benefit of the reader. We ask you to read it with Christian regard and attention; we hope that you will be instructed and bettered by it. It reads as follows:

In the first place, my friend, you desire us to write to you, whether we confess that the Father and the man Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are one Being. Our answer is, that we confess, that there is one Father, and one Son, and one Holy Ghost, and that with these words, namely, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the only and Almighty God was expressed by Christ himself, Matt. 28:19. This then is our belief, namely, that we confess, that when the Father was, there was also the Son; for the Father never was without the Son. For as the Scriptures testify of the Father, that he is eternal, and that all things are through him; so they also testify of the Son, that his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity; and all things were created by him. Mic. 5:1; Col. 1:16; Jn. 1:3; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 1:2. Likewise, also through the Holy Spirit; for all things were made by him, who has one will and work with the Father and the Son, as may well be understood from these words where the Scriptures testify that the Holy Ghost says: Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 2 Esd. 16:62; Psalm 33:6; Acts 13:2. See, my friends, here the Holy Ghost says that he calls them to this work; now Paul says, that Jesus Christ has called and sent him. Acts 26:16. And in the epistle to the Galatians we read, that God called him, and separated him from his mother’s womb, to reveal his Son by him. Galatians 1:15,16. From these words the unity can clearly be understood. And there are still other passages which testify concerning the Holy Ghost, that he appoints the ministers or bishops in the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood, and that he also dispenses the gifts. Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 12:11.

From these words it is easy to understand the unity and operation of the Holy Ghost, which he has with the Father and the Son, so that he cannot be excluded from the unity. Nor can the Son: for he says: I and the Father are one, John 10:30; which unity and Son of God he is according to the person as well as according to the Spirit; for he is frequently, according to his humanity called the Son of God, as you may read where the centurion said: “Truly this is the Son of God.” Matt. 27:54. And Paul says, that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Rom. 5:10. Again, that God did not spare his Son, 8:32. And John says, that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7; 4:10. And Luke says: That which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35. And to the Galatians: that God sent forth his Son, who was born of a woman. Gal. 4:4. Now he who is the Son of God, and whom he has given for our propitiation (1 Jn. 4:10), was certainly born of Mary in the form of a human person. And Isaiah says: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father (Is. 9:6), and other things, which God says of himself, and which John the Baptist and Christ declare concerning himself. Read Isaiah where it is written: “Behold, your God. For, behold, the Lord Sabaoth cometh; he shall feed his flock like a shepherd.” Is. 40:9.

Also in Ezekiel God says: I will myself attend to my sheep. Ezek. 34:11. Now Christ says, that he is the Shepherd of the sheep, and that the sheep are his own. Zechariah says: Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and in John we read, that Christ is the Bridegroom, who has the bride; and in the epistle to the Ephesians [we are taught], that he gave himself for her, that he might prepare himself a glorious church. Eph. 5:25. Christ also is the Lamb of God, and in Revelation we read that the marriage of the Lamb is come, and that his wife has made herself ready. Rev. 19:7. Hence we can clearly understand from these words, that Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom and husband of his church, which husband by the prophet Isaiah is called God: “For thy Maker is thine husband,” he says; “the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Is. 54:5.

See, my friends, from all these words it can clearly be understood, that Christ cannot be excluded from the unity or from God; since God in the Scriptures is frequently expressed by the word Christ, as you may read in Timothy, where Paul calls Christ our Savior, and also calls God our Savior; and in other places, where God is called our Savior. Read 1 Tim. 1:1. And God says through Isaiah: I am the Lord; and beside me there is no Savior. Is. 43:11; 45:5. Now the Scriptures testify, that man’s salvation lies in the sacrifice of the body of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, as we above quoted to you some passages; as, that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son: the body died, and, as Peter says: by his stripes we were healed: his body suffered the stripes. 1 Pet. 2:24. And Isaiah: With his stripes we are healed: the stripes were inflicted upon the body. Is. 53:5.

See, my friend, it is therefore clear from these words, that Christ cannot be excluded from God with body and spirit, since God ascribes to himself that which Christ has done, as we explained above concerning the Shepherd of the sheep. And Christ ascribes to himself that which God does, as may frequently be understood from the Scriptures; so that the inference is clear, that they have one will and work: for what things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. And as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. John 5:19,21. Hence the works of the Son of God can be ascribed to none other than to God, so that the Son cannot be excluded from God. When therefore the word God is named, Father, Son and Holy Ghost are thereby expressed. Thus confess we the only God.

You further desire an answer in regard to the passages which speak of the one God, whether thereby any other than the Father is named. I understand your question thus: Whether Christ, who died, is also comprised in the expression one God? Rom. 1:8; 5:8; John 5:18; 1 John 5:9.

Answer. In the first place you quote Deut. 6:4, where Moses said: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God;” and says still further in the same chapter: “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.” v. 16; Matt. 4:7. See, my friend, they tempted this one God, who by Paul is called Christ, where he says: “And let us not tempt Christ, as some tempted him.” 1 Corinthians 10:9. Now I understand from your letter, that you would exclude Christ from God; I understand it by the passage you quote (John 17), by which you would prove that Christ is not God. Our answer concerning this passage is: They that confess Jesus Christ in truth also confess him God, since God is expressed by the word Christ, as we have proven above from the words of Paul. You further quote the language of Hezekiah, where he said: O Lord God of Israel, thou art alone God; thou hast made heaven and earth. 2 Kings 19:15. By these words you would prove that Christ is excluded from the one God. And you write in your letter that the one God of whom Hezekiah spoke made heaven and earth; and you exclude Christ from the one God; hence you must also exclude him from the creation of heaven and earth, and must first refute all these witnesses that testify concerning Jesus Christ, that all that is made was made by him. Read John 1:3; Col. 1:9; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 1:2; Ps. 33:6. When you shall have refuted all these witnesses, and excluded Christ from all the works of God, then I shall admit your view, that Christ is not comprised in the expression, one God.

You further say that God is invisible and lives forever, but that Christ was seen, and that he died, and that the child was without knowledge, and that it grew up in wisdom; concerning which you shall hear our views afterwards from the confession of our faith, which we prove from the Scriptures, which latter we must believe. Furthermore, you say that God knows the times, and that the Son does not know them. Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32. Our answer is, that Christ speaks this according to his humiliation; for there are other passages which testify concerning him, that he knows all things; as where Peter said: “Lord, thou knowest all things;” and Christ did not contradict him, saying: “No, Peter, I do not know the last day.” He did not even reply to it. Again, when the disciples said to him: “Now are we sure that thou knowest all things.” John 16:30. You further say that God knows the hearts of all the children of men. Ps. 7:9; Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10; 12:3. We say that Christ also knows them; for he knew what was in man, and needed not that any should testify of man. 2 Tim. 4:8; Revelation 2:23; John 2:25. And Christ said: I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. John 9:42. And in John 6:61, we read that Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it. But that you write concerning the revelation of John, that God gave him the same, this does not imply that he [Christ] does not know anything. You further say that God is Almighty, and does all things without the assistance of any one. Answer: Above we have proven that Christ Jesus and the Holy Ghost are comprehended in the word GOD, or you must prove that the Father does some things without the Son or the Holy Ghost, contrary to the words of Christ where he says: What things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. And: My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. And: As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. John 5:19; 17:21. And if we are to honor the Son as we honor the Father, as the Father requires, we must certainly confess him God, for the Father is honored as God, and if we now deny the Son, we have neither the Father, nor the Son, and we are also the spirit of antichrist. 1 John 2:22. And as God did the miracles by him, so he, again, did them by the Father. And he said to two blind men: Believe ye that I am able to do this to you? And they believed it and were helped. Matthew 9:28. This I state, that you may know that he frequently ascribes to himself the works which he does, and sometimes to his Father; in order that you may know that they are one God, who worketh all things. You say that God requires the Holy Spirit, which is true. Now you must observe that a certain thing is sometimes ascribed to God the Father, and sometimes to the Son; for we read, John 3:16, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son. Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:9. And John 10:17, we read that Christ says, that he lays down his life; no man takes it from him; but he lays it down of himself. Again, that he gives his flesh for the life of the world. John 6:51. And that he also imparts the Holy Ghost, and also sent him to his disciples. John 20:22; 16:7,13; 15:26; Luke 24:49.

You further quote 1 Cor. 15:28. Our answer is, as above: That sometimes a work is ascribed to the Father and sometimes to the Son; that all men might know that they are one. For we read that God the Father set Jesus Christ at his own right hand in the heavenly places. Eph. 1:20. And we also read, that the Lord sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, Heb. 1:3. Therefore my friend, you may well take heed before you proceed in such a weighty matter, and first well prove with the word of Christ and his apostles, that you do not run away with a word, without first proving whether it agrees with all the words of God. Farewell, and read with the understanding.

Our belief and ground concerning the incarnation of Jesus Christ is, that we confess and believe, that the only begotten Son of God, who was with the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), and was in the form of God (Phil. 2:6), was foreordained before the foundation of the world; whose goings forth are from the beginning; by whom the world was made, John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; and who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes, and came forth from the Father, came into the world; came down from heaven; and through the power of the Most High was conceived in Mary, and became man in her. For the Word became flesh (John 1:14), so that it was seen with the eyes, and handled with the hands; of the word of life. 1 John 1:1. Born of Mary (Luke 2:7); given unto us as a son (Is. 9:6), and crucified, died, and buried for us; raised from the dead, for God raised up his child Jesus (Acts 3:15; 10:40; 1 Thessalonians 1:10); and he ascended up where he was before (John 6:62), for he that descended is the same also that ascended, Eph. 4:10. We also believe, that the Son of God, when the time was fulfilled, became Abraham’s son, David’s son, Abraham’s seed, the Son of man, and the son and fruit of Mary, when he became man; not that the Son of God took his origin or beginning from Abraham, or David, or Mary; for we have above shown by the Scriptures, that he was with the Father before the foundation of the world; and was before Abraham was. John 8:58. We therefore believe, that Jesus Christ, without any division, visible or invisible, mortal or immortal, wholly and entirely, is the first-begotten, own, true, Son of God, as all believers have confessed him, as we can read in the holy Scriptures. Peter confessed him as the Son of the living God. Likewise also John the Baptist confessed him; for he said: I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. John 1:34. Nathanael said: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.” Martha in like manner confessed that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God, who had come into the world. John 11:27.

This is our confession concerning the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now if some one should ask us whether we do not believe that the Son of God assumed flesh and blood, in which he dwelt; and that the Son of God remained the same as he was, invisible, immortal, unchangeable, as is the Father; we answer thus: If it were true that the Son of God remained invisible, immortal and unchangeable, as the Father, and assumed flesh and blood from Mary, in which he dwelt, it could not be said with truth, that the Son of God became man; but according to truth it would have to be said, that the Son of God assumed a man, in whom he dwelt; for to assume is to assume, and to become is to become, and assuming cannot be called becoming. There further follows from it, that if the Son of God remained invisible, as the Father, he could not be crucified, and in this case he that hung on the cross, is not the Son of God; for he was seen, and God has but one Son. It further follows from it, that if the Son remained invisible, God did spare his Son, contrary to the words of Paul, where he says, that God spared not his Son, but delivered him up for us all. Rom. 8:32. And God would in this case also not have given us his Son, contrary to the teaching of John, where he says: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” John 3:16.

Furthermore, if he remained immortal, it can not be said, that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son, contrary to Paul, where he says, that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Rom. 5:10. Nor can it be said that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. It can only be said that the flesh and blood of Mary cleanses us from all sin, contrary to the teaching of John, where he says, that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Nor can it be said, that God raised up his child Jesus; for if he did not die, he did not raise him up, contrary to the teaching of Paul, 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Acts 2:24; 10:40. Now if some one should ask us, whether we believe, that the Son of God was changed; we answer, that we believe, that the Son of God for our sakes was changed so much that he became what he was not, namely, he, who before was rich, for our sakes became poor. And he, who was in the form of God, became man; for the Word became flesh, so that it was seen with the eyes and handled with the hands. And he, who before was invisible, became visible; and arose from the dead; and ascended up where he was before. For he that descended is the same also that ascended; and he sits on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and is our advocate, our mediator, and ever lives to reconcile us. See, my friend, thus confess we the love which God has shown toward us. So that Jesus Christ humbled himself for our sakes, became lower than the angels, and was found in fashion as a man. Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:7. Behold, my friend, this is the answer to the remark that the child grew up in wisdom. For when he became like unto man, as Paul teaches, he became in all things like unto his brethren. Heb. 2:17. Now, another man grows up in wisdom; therefore the Son of God humbled himself, put himself in our stead before God his Father, and took upon him our sins, and paid for them in our stead, so that in our place he cried to God with strong crying and tears, and offered up [prayers and supplications] unto him that was able to save him from death. Heb. 5:7; Matt. 27:46. Not, my friend, that he needed to be saved on the part of his own person. Now if some one should ask us, whether by such an incarnation as you have confessed here he did not lose his Sonship, and unity with God, we answer: We have proven above by the Scriptures, that Jesus Christ was the Son of God before every creature (Col. 1:15), and was with the Father before the foundation of the world; whose goings forth are from the beginning and from eternity. And he did not lose his Sonship by his incarnation; for, while he was man, the Father confessed him as his Son. Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22. And Christ said, that he was the Son of God. John 10:36. Likewise did Peter. Matt. 16:16. John the Baptist, Nathanael, Martha, and Thomas confessed him as their Lord and God. And Christ said: I and the Father are one. From these words it is easy to understand, that by his incarnation he did not lose his first identity and unity; for the Son of God could become man, so that he died; but nevertheless remain God and the Son of God. For we read concerning the first man Adam, who was a figure of Christ, that God made him of the earth, so that Adam became a living soul, flesh and blood, capable of suffering and dying, and yet remained earth; for God said: Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Rom. 5:14; Gen. 1:19; Sir. 17:1. Abraham also confessed, that he was dust (earth). Gen. 18:27. Now, when the word earth is named, everything is comprised in it, that is earth and takes its origin from the earth. Now Adam and Abraham, who were earth died, and all men who are of the earth, will be able to die; but the earth on which we walk can not die. Nevertheless, both are earth, and both are comprehended in the term earth. Now, when the word God is named, everything is comprised in it, that is God, and all that has its origin from and with God; namely, with the word God, we express Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Now the Scriptures testify, as we have abundantly stated above, that the Son of God became man, so that he was seen, and that he died; but the Father and the Holy Ghost did not die. Nevertheless, God reconciled the world, and purchased his church by his blood; for God was made manifest in the flesh. Read Baruch 4:22. For God is man’s Savior. Read Isaiah 43:11; 1 Tim. 1:15; Tit. 1:4. Now if Christ’s body were of the earth, in which body our propitiation lies, as Peter teaches, that we were healed by his stripes, and Isaiah, that we are healed by his stripes; and Paul, that we are reconciled by his death; then the earth must be our savior, and not God; and John must have spoken falsely, when he said, that the Word, which he called God, became flesh. And before we will believe that Christ’s body is of Mary’s blood, we want to see this assertion pointed out to us in the Scriptures, word for word, and we will say nothing against it: for we must believe as the Scriptures teach us. John 7:38. And if any one wishes to accept our faith, we will show him word for word where this is written, namely, that the Word became flesh. Farewell. Read with the understanding.

HARMAN TIMMERMAN.

From Jan van Hasebroeck three letters have fallen into our hands, which we have likewise added here for the benefit of the reader.

THE FIRST LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK TO HIS WIFE.

The abundant grace, peace and mercy from God the heavenly Father, and the love of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, shows us by the shedding of his holy and precious blood on the tree of the cross; may he strengthen and stablish you in the inner man, with his word and the power of his Holy Spirit; the same give you much wisdom and understanding, that you may be able to stand, to the praise of the Lord, and the salvation of your soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in Christ Jesus, and all that fear the Lord from the heart, as a cordial greeting. Amen.

After all affectionate greetings, I inform you, my dear and much beloved wife, that I am still reasonably well, inwardly and outwardly--the Lord be praised forever for his great grace and mercy--as I trust by the grace of the Lord that it is also with you, in the inner man and in the outward, as it pleases the Lord. For, my most beloved, if it pleased the Lord, he would soon have ordered it otherwise; hence be content with what the Lord has ordered in regard to you; for he knows what tends to your salvation. O my most beloved love, be pleased to know, that you were a medicine to my heart the last time I saw you at the lattice; for, as a hart panteth after the water brooks, so did my heart long to see your face again. Ps. 42:1. O my dear wife, that I might see and speak to you once more, and bid you adieu. But, my dearest, the Lord has not commanded me to take leave from my friends, but to follow him in the obedience of the truth. Luke 9:61. O my most beloved wife, whom I have wedded before Christ and his church, for a helpmeet in my pilgrimage, over which helpmeet the Lord has placed me as head and protector, to feed and nourish you as my own body. Eph. 5:28. Now, my most beloved, if I have not well attended to my calling, during the time that we have been together; if I have grieved you in anything, I kindly ask you from the bottom of my heart, to forgive me; I have asked the Lord with tears, to forgive me. O my dear wife, I forgive you from the heart everything you may have done amiss to me. O my dear wife, you have done nothing amiss to me; but I have grieved myself; hence I have prayed the Lord, to forgive me the same. And do you also, my dear wife, pray the Lord in my behalf, that I may be an acceptable offering to him; for I trust by his grace to go before you, with our fellow-brethren, and to await you under the altar. O my most beloved, my heart’s prayer for you is, that you would always walk worthily before God and his church (Philip. 1:27), as you have also hitherto done; so that at the last day we may stand and hear his voice: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Christ also says: Fear not, little flock; for it is my Father’s good pleasure to give you his kingdom. Luke 12:32. He also says: Fear not, for the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Verse 7. My most beloved, comfort yourself with the word of the Lord, and with the beautiful promises of God; that you may not faint in the way of the Lord, because of the great persecution and torments which are inflicted on his people for his name’s sake; for he says himself: Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power also to cast the soul into hell. Luke 12:4,5. And as the prophet Isaiah has said: Fear not men, or the children of men, that perish like grass. Isaiah 51:12. Therefore, my most beloved, be not afraid of this pain; for Paul says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8:18. In another place Paul also says: “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” 2 Cor. 4:16–18.

O my most beloved wife, my heart’s prayer and desire is, that you would always associate with them that fear the Lord, as I likewise trust to do; that hereafter we may meet where men shall not part us, but where we shall abide forever with the Father and his Son. If we only remain steadfast, we shall be saved. Matt. 10:22.

O my dear wife, as the prophet Malachi says, that the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you (he says) that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go in and out, and find pasture. Mal. 4:1,2.

Behold, my dear wife, what a difference there is between them that fear God, and those that fear him not. For as the apostle Paul says to the Thessalonians, in his second epistle, in the first chapter: When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, where the fire shall not be quenched, and their worm shall not die; but the smoke of their torment shall ascend forever and ever. Mark 9:44; Rev. 14:11.

Behold, this shall be their reward. Rom. 6:23. But they that fear God, love him, and keep his commandments, according to their weakness; their reward shall be life and peace, as the Scriptures sufficiently testify. And Paul, also, says that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9.

Herewith I will draw to a close with my discourse, and commend you to the Almighty Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, who has given you to me, and, as said before, placed me as a head, to feed and nourish you as my own flesh, which I have done according to my weakness, during the time that I have been with you. And now that I am taken from you, I commend you, my dearest wife and sister in the Lord, to the God of peace, who has given you to me; humbly praying him, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, that he would keep you, and my two little lambs, always in his truth, unto the end. And also you, my dear wife, I pray you in all sincerity, to do the best for my two little children, as I trust you will do. O that it pleased the Lord, I would so gladly do my best for you yet. My most beloved, I have heard that you sent me a letter; but I did not receive it; hence if you want to send me word in regard to anything, speak to N., and ask her whether she knows of any one that would come to the common prison, and ask for the brother-in-law, in the fuller’s house. For we trust that if you can prudently give it into his hand there, we shall get it; hence act circumspectly in this matter, and do not send it without speaking to the rest; that it may go through at once and attract the less notice. For we have been greatly distressed on account of a letter that came in from without; in which stood that they had received two of our letters. This letter fell into the hands of the jailer, who seemed beside himself that we had written. Therefore, my dearest love, when you want to write me something, write not that you received a letter from me; but if you have received this letter from me, and send me another, place under your letter the sign that will stand under this; thereby I shall know that you received my letter. And if you speak to my brother, greet him much from me, and tell him to enter with Noah into the ark, lest the flood come upon him, which is the wrath of God; and to go with Lot out of Sodom, and not to look back, like Lot’s wife, who became an example to those who in future times should commit ungodliness; for Christ says: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Hereby greet him much in my name, and greet all those who inquire after me, especially him who was my master, and my country-man and his wife, and the woman who the day before was at our house, and, also, my most beloved, whom I know upon earth, yea, who is as dear to me as my own life; for my natural life was not near so dear to me; this the Lord knows, who is rich in mercy.

O my beloved, I commend you, and all them that fear God, to the Lord, and to the word of his grace. Amen.

Written by me, JAN VAN HASEBROECK,

Your husband and weak brother in Christ.

THE SECOND LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK.

Abundant grace and peace be with you from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, our Lord, through whom we expect our salvation; may he by his Spirit confirm, strengthen, and comfort you in all your tribulation and temptation, outward and inward, that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth, to the end of your life, to his praise, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a friendly greeting and adieu in Christ Jesus. Amen.

After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be pleased to know, that I am still reasonably well according to the flesh, the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is always ready yet to go on in what I declared and confessed before the rulers of the darkness of this world; and I trust by the grace of the Lord to seal the same with my blood and death, so that I unworthy one may obtain the promise, where he says: “Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it; and whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Mark 8:35; Matthew 10:32. Therefore, my most beloved love, be of good cheer, and always comfort yourself, and be comforted with the words of the Lord; and do not grieve too much on account of the work and will of the Lord, for he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11), and no one has ever been the Lord’s counselor. Hence, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though we have had little joy with each other during the time that the Lord has joined us together, and must now part with sorrow, we know that the Lord has promised us nothing here but tribulation and sorrow, as Christ said to his disciples: Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20. Christ also says: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” v. 33. He further says: “Blessed are they that weep now: for they shall laugh; but woe unto them that laugh now: for they shall weep.” Luke 6:21,25. Again, in another place he says: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Thus, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, comfort yourself with these beautiful words and promises of Christ, which partly also belong to you; for in that you are sorry, you are sorry after a godly manner. And Paul says, that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of this world worketh death. 2 Cor. 7:9,10.

O my dear wife, Paul, in another place, further says, that our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:17,18. And the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8:18. For the apostle says, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9. Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, since we have such beautiful promises for this little and temporal suffering, be of good cheer, and always patient in your tribulation and temporal sufferings, continuing instant in prayer, patient in hope (Rom. 12:12), and wait for the time of your redemption with long suffering. I trust by the grace of the Lord to be an example and pattern to you, and to leap by my God over a wall (Ps. 18:29), to go to meet Christ, my bridegroom, as he has commanded me (Matthew 25:1); and also to go and await you under the altar of the Lord, where all God’s elect shall rest, until the number of their fellow brethren that must yet be killed for the testimony of Jesus, like we, is fulfilled. Rev. 6:9,11.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, always wait with patience for the Lord your God, as did the wise virgins, who had oil in their vessels; and were ready to go in with their bridegroom, whereunto we all that believe in Christ are called, to sup with him. Rev. 3:20. For, as Christ himself says, Luke 12:37: Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Matthew 24:46.

Hence, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, always be of good cheer, comfort yourself with the words of the Lord, and be patient and resigned in that which the Lord has ordered concerning you. Though he now comes to visit you with tribulation, suffering or poverty, think that Christ, when he was rich, for our sakes became poor, that through his poverty he might make rich us who were poor. 2 Cor. 8:9. And James, also, says, that God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him. James 2:5.

O my dear wife, think of old Tobit; when all his goods had been taken from him, and he had to flee with his wife and his son, he said: “And fear not, my son; true, we are poor, but we shall have much wealth, if we fear the Lord, keep his commandments, shun sin, and do good.” Tobit 1:20; 4:21.

Hence, my much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, Christ also says in the Gospel: “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast body and soul into hell.” Luke 12:4,5. And in another place: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Verse 32. And the prophet Isaiah also says: “Fear not men, nor the children of men, who must perish like grass; for all flesh is as grass; and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord abideth forever.” Is. 51:12; 40:6,8.

Further, my dear and greatly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, be pleased to know, that it was a great joy for me to hear that you were of such good cheer in your tribulation, and that you have committed us four to the Lord; wherefore I rejoice, and pray the Lord from the heart, that he would strengthen and stablish you, and give you his divine Spirit for a Comforter and Guide, since now is the time of which Christ said (Matt. 24:24), that many false prophets and false Christs should arise, yea, that even the very elect, if it were possible, should be led into error.

Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife, take good heed, that no robber deceive you by philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the world; and that you may not have labored in vain, but may receive your reward, so that no man may take your crown. Hence have your conversation always in heaven, from whence we look for our Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. Philip. 3:20,21. Herewith I will commend you, my dear and much beloved wife, and both my children, to the Lord, and bid you farewell, until we shall meet hereafter, where men shall part us no more; for the apostle says, that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16,17): then men shall not part us. O my most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, I herewith bid you adieu, and commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace; and may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, rule in your heart. Adieu, my dear wife, and greet much them that inquire after me, especially my brother, and bid him adieu, adieu. O adieu, my dear and much beloved wife. Jan Koopman and Hansken greet you most heartily, and also bid you adieu. Amen.

THE THIRD LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK.

The abundant grace, peace and mercy from God the heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ his dear and much beloved Son our Lord, be multiplied unto you, with the power and communion of the Holy Ghost; may he strengthen, comfort and stablish you in the inner man, so that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth to the end of your life, to his praise and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish you my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a cordial and friendly greeting. Amen.

After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be pleased to know that I am reasonably well yet according to the flesh, the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is still unchanged to go on in that which I unworthy one declared and confessed in his name. I also hope to seal the same with my blood, and I trust that the Lord will help me in my last extremity; for Paul says (Heb. 2:18), in that he himself hath suffered [being tempted,] he is able to succor them that are tempted. O my dear and much beloved wife, be pleased to know that I was partly rejoiced, and partly grieved, when I heard how it is with you. For on account of your sickness I was sorrowful; but when I heard again, that you were of such good cheer in your tribulation and suffering, I greatly rejoiced, and thanked the Lord for his great grace and compassion. And I humbly beseech him from the depth of my heart, through Jesus Christ his dear Son, that he would comfort, strengthen and stablish you, and always guide you into his truth, to the end of your life. O my dear and much beloved wife, always be of good cheer, and think that we must through much tribulation and suffering enter into the kingdom of God, like all the pious and godfearing men that lived before our time, as Paul tells us (Heb. 11), that they suffered mockings, scourgings, and stoning, yea, bonds and imprisonment, and died by the sword, yea, suffered distress and want: they went in sheepskins and goatskins, wandering about in deserts; and had to hide in caves of the earth. Therefore, my dear lamb, rejoice with all the pious, of whom Paul says, that they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3:12. For Christ himself says: If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. Yea, if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? John 15:20; Matthew 10:25.

O my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though the Lord come to visit us with tribulation and suffering, Paul says, that it is given unto us, not only to believe on his name, but also to suffer for it; and as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. Philip. 1:29; 2 Cor. I:5. O my dear and much beloved wife, receive willingly the chastening of the Lord; for he chasteneth every one whom he loveth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:6,11.

O my dear and much beloved wife, herewith I will commend you to the Lord, and kindly ask you from the depth of my heart, that you would always do the best with my two little lambs, as I also trust that you will do, as you sent me word. Nevertheless, I kindly ask you, that if the Lord should spare you until they attain to their understanding, that you would instruct them in the obedience of the truth; and always associate with them that fear God, so that at the last day we and they may stand together on the Lord’s right hand, and hear his voice: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

O my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord! Herewith I commend you to the Lord Almighty, and to the word of his grace, and bid you adieu, my dear wife, adieu, and the peace of the Lord be with you and all them that fear him. Jan Koopman and Hansken greet you much; and Jan Koopman greets his wife much; he and Hansken are also of good cheer. Amen.

Written by me JAN VAN HASEBROECK, your husband and weak brother in the Lord.

DIRK ANDRIESS, A. D. 1569.

Dirk Andriess, a pious and godfearing brother, was apprehended at Zierickzee, A. D. 1569; and as he, in all temptations and sufferings, firmly adhered to the love of Christ, he was finally sentenced to death as a heretic, and thus, in order to follow Christ, who had died a bitter death for him, he also gladly for the Lord’s sake delivered up his temporal life to death, to enter with him into life eternal. Matt. 25:46.

JACOB DE ROORE, OR THE CHANDLER, AND HERMAN VAN VLECKWICJK, BOTH BURNED ALIVE AT THE STAKE, AT BRUGES, IN FLANDERS, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, THE 10TH OF JUNE, A. D. 1569.

The very pleasant and favored country of Flanders, in and about the year 1569, was as a dreadful den of murderers, in which they did not hesitate to put to death the chosen friends and followers of Jesus Christ, yea, to deprive them little by little of life in the most awful and horrible manner, namely, by fire, to the sorrow and grief of many, who living at that time beheld it with weeping eyes. This appeared, among many others, in two valiant heroes, and champions of Jesus Christ. One of them was named Jacob de Roore, or the Chandler; he was a teacher in the church, and a very godfearing, intelligent, kind, and eloquent man, who was not afraid at the peril of his life to lead and feed, the flock of Jesus in the green meadows of the true evangelical doctrine, though it was in forests and wildernesses. The name of the other was Herman van Vleckwijck; he was a common member, but possessed nevertheless no small gifts.

These were both brought prisoners into Bruges, one of the Flemish cities, where they had to endure many hard and severe temptations from the papists, who sought to make them apostatize from the faith; but as they were founded upon the immovable corner stone, Christ Jesus, the edifice of their faith also remained firm, and they could by no means be moved or swerved therefrom. Hence the rulers at said place, through the instigation of the Romish so called spirituality (clergy) concluded their process, and delivered them both from life to death, to be burned to ashes at the stake, which was done on the 10th day of the month of June, A. D. 1569. Concerning this the following verses have been composed:

“In fifteen hundred and sixty-nine, On the tenth of June, in the city of Bruges, Encircled wholly by fiery flames, With intrepid spirit, both Jacob and Herman. Did testify before all the world To the word of God, which they sealed with their heart’s blood, And thus their sacrifice they did bring To the mighty God that inhabiteth heaven.”

Of these two offered up children of God, two disputations are extant, which a certain monk, called Friar Cornelis held with them at said place, and which, because of the wise, intelligent and prudent answers of said two friends, are well worthy to be added here.

DISPUTATION BETWEEN JACOB DE KEERSGIETER AND MR. FRIAR CORNELIS, A FRANCISCAN MONK; IN THE PRESENCE OF MR. JAN VAN DAMME, RECORDER, AND MR. MICHIEL HOUWAERT, CLERK OF THE CRIMINAL COURT, ON THE 9TH OF MAY, A. D. 1569.[306]

[306] The following two disputations, the first between Jacob de Roore, or Jacob Keersgieter, and Friar Cornelis, and the second between Herman Vlekwijck and the same Fr. Cornelis, were not given in Van Braght’s first edition of 1660, which we made the standard in our translation, but was added in the subsequent editions. Van Braght refers to these disputations and says that he omitted them on account of the indelicate and harsh language which frequently occurs in the remarks of the impolite Friar. We have omitted the worst of these expressions and have indicated the omissions thus * * *

There are also a number of accounts of martyrs, not given in the edition of 1660, but inserted in the subsequent editions, which are also given in this translation.--PUBLISHERS.

Friar Cornelis. Well, I’ve come here to see whether I can convert you (Jacob, I believe, is your name) from your false and evil belief, in which you are erring, and whether I cannot bring you back to the Catholic faith of our mother, the holy Roman church, from which you have apostatized to this damnable Anabaptism. What do you say to this, eh?

Jacob. With your permission, as regards that I have an evil, false belief, this I deny; but that through the grace of God I have apostatized from your Babylonian mother, the Roman church, to the members, or the true church, of Christ this I confess; and thank God for it, who has said: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev. 18:4; Is. 52:11.

Fr. Corn. Is it true? And do you call our mother the holy Roman church, the whore of Babylon? And do you call your hellish, devilish sect of Anabaptists the members, or the true church of Christ? Eh! hear this fine fellow once. Who the devil has taught you this! your accursed Menno Symons, I suppose, * * *

Jac. With your permission, you talk very wickedly. It was not necessary that Menno Symons should have taught us as something new, that the Babylonian whore signifies your mother, the Roman church, since John teaches us enough concerning this in his Apocalypse, or Revelation, in the 14th, 16th, 17th, and 18th chapters.

Fr. Corn. Ah bah! what do you understand about St. John’s Apocalypse? at what university did you study? At the loom, I suppose; for I understand that you were nothing but a poor weaver and chandler, before you went around preaching and rebaptizing out here in the Gruthuysbosch. I have attended the university at Louvain, and studied divinity so long, and yet I do not understand anything at all about St. John’s Apocalypse; this is a fact.

Jac. Therefore Christ thanked his heavenly Father, that he had revealed and made it known to babes, and hid it from the wise of this world, as is written, Matt. 11:25.

Fr. Corn. Exactly; God has revealed it to the weavers at the loom, to the cobblers on their bench, and to bellows-menders, lantern-tinkers, scissors-grinders, broom-makers, thatchers, and all sorts of riff-raff, and poor, filthy, and lousy beggars. And to us ecclesiastics who have studied from our youth, night and day, he has concealed it. Just see how we are tormented. You Anabaptists are certainly fine fellows to understand the holy Scriptures; for before you are rebaptized, you can’t tell A from B, but as soon as you are baptized, you can read and write. If the devil and his mother have not a hand in this, I do not understand any thing about you people.

Jac. I can well hear that you do not understand our way of doing; for you ascribe to Satan the grace which God grants our simple converts, when we with all diligence teach them to read.

Fr. Corn. See here once; these heretics presume to have the grace of God, and regard our mother, the holy Catholic Roman church as the whore of Babylon--is this not a fine grace of God? Ah, bah! you have the grace of the very devil of hell. What shall I say in regard to this? If you regard our mother, the holy Catholic Roman church as the whore of Babylon, I can well imagine what you consider our holy father the Pope, the vicar of God. Let us hear once.

Jac. I consider the Pope the vicar of God; for he occupies the place of God, as Paul writes concerning him, in the second chapter of his second epistle to the Thessalonians: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

Fr. Corn. Hush, hush, you have preached enough; here you are not in the Gruthuysbosch, nor do I sit down to hear you preach. Bah! you accursed Anabaptist, would you apply the prophecy of St. Paul to our holy father the Pope? * * * Hear this accursed heretic once; how he understands St. Paul. Bah! St. Paul thereby means the antichrist; that he does.

Jac. I too believe that Paul thereby means antichrist. But does not the Pope of Rome do the very works of antichrist? Does he not command you, that you are not to marry? Does he not command you to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe? as Paul writes in the fourth chapter of his first epistle to Timothy.

Fr. Corn. The devil sits in your cheeks; the devil and his mother play with your ugly mouth, that you know how to twist all the holy Scriptures according to your heretical notions, and to turn them on your thumb. But just wait, I shall show you very well, that our holy father the Pope is the vicar of God: for did not Christ say to St. Peter; “Feed my sheep;” and that upon him he would build his church? And did he not also give to St. Peter the keys of heaven, and all priestly authority, to loose from sin, and to bind, or to remit and to retain? And do not the holy popes sit upon the same seat, as successors of St. Peter, and have the same command and the priestly authority of the keys of heaven, to forgive sins and to retain them, through absolution after confession? What do you say to this now? let us hear.

Jac. Christ said, that upon this rock (that is, upon such a faith as Peter confessed, Matt. 17:16) he would build his church; he said nothing about a seat, or of vicars, or of successors, or popes, or of priestly authority.

Fr. Corn. He certainly spoke of the keys of heaven, and of loosing and binding. And if there were no pope, or high priest, nor sub-priests who then should have the authority, to hear confession, to absolve, and to forgive sins? scavengers, etc., I suppose.

Jac. Christ is our only true high-priest, as Paul writes to the Hebrews, in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th chapters.

Fr. Corn. That is just where I wanted to have you; for if St. Paul thereby means that besides Christ no other high priests or common priests are necessary, why then does he say in the fourth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians: I will that every one so account of us, as of Christ’s priests over the sacraments of God? that is, administer the sacraments of the altar, of baptism, of confirmation, of extreme unction, of marriage, of confession and absolution, of penitence, and of consecrating and anointing priests. What do you hold concerning priestly estate, or the sacrament of the priesthood? Let us hear.

Jac. Next to Christ, we believers in Christ are all priests alike, according to the words of Peter in the second chapter (9th verse) of his first epistle, where he says to the believers in Christ: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” Again, Rev. 1:5,6: “Christ who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father.” Again, Rev. 5:9,10: “For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us [to God] by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests.”

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush! now you begin to preach again, do you? keep silence, or reply to me in regard to what St. Paul writes in the fourth chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians: I will that every one so account of us, as of Christ’s priests over the sacraments of God. Answer to this. * * *

Jac. With your permission, Paul does not write as you say, and hence there is nothing to answer to it.

Fr. Corn. O you cursed Anabaptist that you are; I could swear by the saints, that St. Paul writes as I say: what do you say of this accursed, hellish, devilish heretic?

Jac. The Lord God forgive you this judging and cursing, and do not account it to your own condemnation. Christ also says (Matt. 5), do not swear an oath; but let your communication be, Yea, yea, Nay, nay.

Fr. Corn. Bah, this means that one is not to swear a false oath; but what I would swear is true. But you Anabaptists also have the fancy, that you are not to swear any manner of oaths. Bah, what a lousy fancy this is! I should like to hear why one may not swear a good oath.

Jac. Because Christ, in Matt. 5, says: “Ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” In like manner, also James says, in the fifth chapter (v. 12): “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay: lest you fall into condemnation.”

Fr. Corn. Is it true? in this you would follow St. James; but when he in the same chapter speaks of the sacrament of extreme unction, saying: Is any sick, call for the priests of the church, and cause him to be anointed; and also, where, in the same chapter, he speaks of the sacrament of confession; herein you heretics are not willing to follow him. I have asked you once or twice, what you think of confession, and of the power of absolution, or remission and retention of sins; but you do not reply to me in regard to this.

Jac. You answer yourself, saying: “Who then should have the authority of hearing confession, absolving, and forgiving sins? scavengers, etc., I suppose.” For since you supposed the same I left it to you to answer.

Fr. Corn. Well, answer me then now, what you think of the sacrament of confession and absolution.

Jac. My answer is: If you would take and understand confession (which you papists now use) from the fifth chapter of James, you must also confess your sins to him that confesses his sins to you; for James says: “Confess your faults one to another.” Now if I confess to you all my sins, will you also confess your sins to me? I think not, and that you yourself would much rather acknowledge and say, that James did not mean such a confession as you papists now employ.

Fr. Corn. * * * You accursed Anabaptist that you are. You seek nothing but to tangle up everything that is advanced against you--the devil wags your tongue. But let us hear what you can say against this, where Christ says: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Matt. 8:4.

Jac. This Christ said to those whom he had healed and cleansed from leprosy, that they should go and show their bodies to the priests and let them see, that they were clean again, in order that they might go among the people again, from whom they had been separated on account of their leprosy. Matthew 8:4; Luke 17:14.

Fr. Corn. * * * Bah, it was plainly said: Go and confess to the priest; for so our mother the holy Catholic Roman church understands it. This was the reason why Christ gave his vicar, St. Peter the keys, that he might also have the power to bind and loose from sin, or to forgive and to retain, after confession as I told you. Hence, answer me once, but in a few words, without much preaching, see!

Jac. From this power of the keys, which Christ gave Peter, it is not to be understood, that you priests in popery have power to forgive or to retain sin.

Fr. Corn. Is it true? would accursed heretic say that the power which Christ gave his successor or vicar, St. Peter, does not pertain to us priests? What! no! do not the popes, as the successors of St. Peter, who sit in his seat, and we priests, still have the power as well as did the scribes and Pharisees, as the successors of Moses, who at the time of Christ still sat in Moses’ seat? of whom Christ says, in the twenty-third chapter (vs. 1, 2) of Matthew’s gospel: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. What do you say to this, eh? Let us hear it.

Jac. With your permission, but do not get angry; for I should have been afraid of incurring your abuse, if I had compared you to the scribes and Pharisees; but since you compare yourselves to them, I will reply to you. What Christ means is this: Whatsoever they command you to do from the law of Moses, that do. But he also commands his disciples, in Matt. 16:6, that they should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. And though the Pharisees and scribes should have boasted themselves of the power which Moses had, as you priests boast of having the power which Peter received from Christ, of forgiving sin, who would have believed the Pharisees? since Christ pronounces woe over them so many times, Matt. 23: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers. Woe unto you,” etc.

Fr. Corn. Fie, tush, tush; hear all this preaching. Bah, I know myself quite well, that Christ cries woe, woe, but do you think, that I have come here to hear preaching? I can preach myself, that I can.

Jac. Still, you desired that I should reply to your comparison between the authority of the Pharisees and that of you priests.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! do you think you can satisfy me with such a meagre answer? By no means * * * we priests do not care for this; though the scribes and Pharisees were not of much account, their authority was none the less, on that account; and just so it is also with our priestly authority, after confession to absolve from and forgive, or to retain, sin, see!

Jac. What authority has a man that is already himself excluded from heaven, to help another into it: for Christ says, Matt. 5:20: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” How shall an unrighteous man forgive the sins of one whose righteousness is greater than his own?

Fr. Corn. My lord the inquisitor wrote truly enough from Kortrijk, where you were born, that your tongue was well hung, and that it was labor lost to dispute against you. In troth, if you are so exceedingly opposed to all priestly authority, and say, that all men that believe, yea, even your wives and children, are all priests, why do you have more episcopal authority than the other Anabaptists? For you are their bishop, teacher and preacher. You rebaptize them, lay your hands upon their heads, and endow them all alike with the Holy Ghost, as they think. Hence, let us hear what you yourself think of your episcopal authority; for no one can lawfully administer the sacrament of confirmation, unless he be a bishop, or at least a suffragan. Hence, let us hear once, how you administer the sacrament of confirmation, and what you think of it.

Jac. I know nothing to say of episcopal authority, or of confirmation. How then should I administer it, or what should I think of it; for confirmation is a bugbear about which I know nothing.

Fr. Corn. Is it possible, do you Anabaptists call the sacrament of confirmation a bugbear? Ah, accursed heretic, the devil take you into the fire of hell, to burn you forever; see!

Jac. Do not get so angry and excited, for I call it a strange bugbear, because it is so unknown to me. But tell me what it is, and what you hold concerning it; then I can tell you better what I think of it.

Fr. Corn. Bah, this blockhead presumes to be a bishop of the Anabaptists, and does not yet know what the sacrament of confirmation is. If you are a bishop, you ought to confirm yourself. My lords, see once, what a fine bishop the Anabaptists have had out there in the Gruthuysbosch, who preached so many sermons there; is it not a fine bishop, teacher and preacher? Bah, see once, with what we have been vexed and tormented * * *

Jac. I am no bishop, nor do I consider myself a teacher; but I have sometimes led the brethren and sisters and converts of our church, with exhortation from the word of God or the holy Scriptures, according to my small ability.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you are a fine leader, that you do not yet know the sacrament of confirmation. Confirmation is, that the bishop or the suffragan anoints the grown children, and sometimes also adult persons (that are not yet confirmed) with the holy chrism on their forehead, and gives them a blow on the cheek, in token that they should remember that they have been confirmed; which confirmation signifies the confirmation of baptism. Now you will understand or know it, I think.

Jac. Just as little as before, since I also do not know what chrism and the confirmation of baptism are.

Fr. Corn. It seems that you know nothing concerning the Christian religion; so does the devil hold you by the throat. And you presume nevertheless to be a teacher and preacher of the Anabaptists. Bah, is it not a shame, that you have to be taught yourself yet, how children are confirmed, and that chrism is a substance mixed together of holy, consecrated things, which must not be told you? and that one has to teach you yet, that confirmation signifies the imposition of the priest’s hands, as the apostles laid their hands upon them that were baptized. Do you not yet understand it, blockhead that you are?

Jac. In the nineteenth chapter of Acts we read, that, after Paul had caused some Christian believers to be baptized at Ephesus, and had then laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came down upon them, and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Hence I do not believe that your confirmation or chrism, and your blow on the cheek, have anything in common with the imposition of the hands of the apostles.

Fr. Corn. Is it possible, so outspoken? you accursed Anabaptist, though you do not believe it, the sacrament of confirmation is therefore not one whit worse, for we Catholics believe it so much the more. My lords, what do you say of this accursed Anabaptist? for he does not believe in anything, that he don’t.

Recorder. Suffer yourself to be instructed, Jacob, and believe that which a Christian ought to believe, and don’t argue so much.

Jac. My lords, with your permission, I only answer to all his questions, and I believe only that which is written in the holy Scriptures.

Fr. Corn. Do you? * * * for you do not believe, that St. Paul, in the beginning of the fourth chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians, writes: I will that every one so account of us, as of priests of Christ over the sacraments of God. And as I said, St. James writes the same, in his fifth chapter: Is any sick, call for the priests of the church; and let them pray over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. Are we priests then not dispensers or administrators of God’s sacraments? and you say now, that you believe in all that is written in the holy Scriptures. It remains now to be seen or heard, what you believe concerning the sacrament of holy unction, of which St. James writes, as I tell you. Let us hear once.

Jac. I do not believe that the anointing with oil of which James writes has anything in common with the oil with which you anoint the sick among you; for the oil of which James writes healed the sick, as did also the oil concerning which Mark writes in the sixth chapter, that the apostles anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. But however much you priests adjure and conjure your oil, it can nevertheless not heal the sick; hence, that was another oil, than your oil which you call a sacrament.

Fr. Corn. A thousand devils (God bless us) what ails this hellish heretic now, that he makes sorcery of our reading, consecrating, blessing, and sanctifying over the sacrament of extreme unction. You bewitched, bedeviled, possessed Anabaptist, have reproved me once, because I cursed and condemned you; but I should go at you quite differently yet, in cursing, condemning and anathematizing you; but you are not worthy that I should so incense and excite myself about you. Therefore I tell you, yes, we Catholics call holy unction a sacrament, and regard it as a sacrament, and it is a sacrament, in spite of your mouth. Do you understand this, you bewitched, accursed Anabaptist, that you are?

Jac. If you want to imitate all the things which the apostles did, and regard them all as sacraments, why do you not also regard your aprons or handkerchiefs as sacraments, and lay them upon the sick, as Paul did? For what greater sacredness was there in the oil of which James writes, than in Paul’s aprons, by which he also healed the sick, as is written in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the apostles?

Fr. Corn. If the devil does not wag your tongue, I do not understand the matter. You accursed Anabaptists may yourselves make a sacrament of your filthy handkerchiefs or aprons; for you people have no sacrament, but we Catholics have seven sacraments; is it not enough, eh?

Jac. Yea, in troth; for since the term sacrament is not once mentioned in the holy Scriptures, you have only seven too many.

Fr. Corn. Bah, does not St. Paul call marriage a sacrament? And he does not bestow too much honor upon marriage, when he says, in the fifth chapter to the Ephesians: This sacrament is great. Would you reject this honor, put it from you, and trample upon it with your feet, I suppose?

Jac. Paul says: Two shall be one flesh; this is a great mystery. Eph. 5:31,32. If you want to make sacraments of all the mysteries, I am surprised that you have only seven sacraments.

Fr. Corn. It is easy to hear, that you Anabaptists do not esteem marriage very highly; for, if we priests should say, that priesthood only is a sacrament, and marriage not, I think you would reply: Show us where priesthood is called a sacrament, as is marriage. But when I consider the matter well, you Anabaptists do not observe marriage, since you have the women and maidens in common, and run together promiscuously, like dogs, the father with his daughter, the mother with her son, the brother with his sister, just like the beasts--is this not a fine thing?

Jac. With your permission, don’t get incensed, we are slandered in regard to this.

Fr. Corn. Ah bah! would you deny it, what ails you?

Jac. If it were true, I would not deny it; but this can never be said with truth of us.

Fr. Corn. Bah, bah! this is the most aggravating monstrosity yet. I thought you would go and show or prove to me from the Holy Scriptures, that the women may be had in common; and do you now want to deny it, eh!

Jac. But should I not deny those things that are lies?

Fr. Corn. This miserable Anabaptist would give me the lie. But do you think you can swindle me out of a matter which I so certainly know to be true? Bah, why will you deny it, seeing you have already so flatly denied the five sacraments, which is a hundred thousand times worse and more damnable, than to make common all the women and maidens of the whole world, that it is.

Jac. You are very wrong in accusing us with it; for it is something of which we are innocent.

Fr. Corn. Ah bah, now it is getting to be downright idiocy with this denying. I am mad and indignant enough to jump right out of my skin, that this accursed Anabaptist here would deny a matter so public, and known to all the world. Ah bah, I will stake my neck, that I have preached more than a hundred times, that you Anabaptists have the women and maidens in common, and that you also sever the marriage tie, giving to one man, when he is tired of his wife, another man’s wife; and, in like manner, to one woman, when she is tired of her husband, another woman’s husband. Don’t I know these things, eh?

Jac. I have heard it said sometimes, that a certain Friar Cornelis here, often preaches such things concerning us: is it you, permit me to ask?

Fr. Corn. Yes, I am Friar Cornelis, who preaches such things concerning you. Just take a good look at me. I ought to know that I am the man; and I will also clearly show to you, that I preach it with truth; for were they not Anabaptists who at Amsterdam, and elsewhere in Holland, ran stark naked through the streets, men and women, young maidens and boys, and said to one another: My spirit desires your flesh; eh?

Jac. Those were not of our brethren; for formerly there were such false brethren, as David Joris and Hendrick Nicolaus, who taught these things in secret, and said that no one might have anything as his own, and that therefore, no one might marry a wife for himself, but that women ought to be had in common. Others also wanted to prove from the Scriptures, that women that are unmannered or disorderly might be abandoned.

Fr. Corn. * * * Ah; bah, why would you deny, that you Anabaptists have the women in common. They certainly were Anabaptists, who, at Amsterdam, forcibly took possession of the city hall, and who overpowered and took the city of Munster, and afterwards were besieged, bombarded, stormed, defeated, captured, and put to death, with their king, Jan Beukelss, a tailor of Leyden. They certainly had the women in common, yea, not only the women, but also the property; yea, they robbed churches and convents, in Holland, Friesland, and Gelderland. Why would you then say, that these also were not of your brethren? You must be an idiot, I think.

Jac. These all belonged to the same (strange) false brethren; for as they taught, that women might not be held as own, so they also taught that property might not be owned individually, but was to be held in common, and that the property of the papists belonged to the Christians, and that they might seize it wherever they could, in order thereby to exterminate the ungodly with the external sword, and to abolish all government, in order thus to set up a new kingdom of Christ in this world. And through these this unchristian report has unjustly come upon us.

Fr. Corn. Is it possible? It remains to be seen yet, whether this evil report has unjustly come upon you. If you Anabaptists also had a head, like the Calvinists, you would persecute, trouble, torment, and martyrize us Catholics just as they do; this I swear to you. Well, enough of this; but that you would deny, that you Anabaptists have the women in common, this I cannot take in, or swallow. You may deny, twist, sneak, dive, and cover up as much as you will, but you shall not swindle me out of it, that you shall not.

Jac. We are not the only ones that have to bear this from you; for you also often preach, I understand, that the Calvinists have the women in common.

Fr. Corn. And so they do; for in the point of having the women in common they agree with the Anabaptists. Ah, bah, don’t I know what the Calvinists and Calvinistresses do when they blow out the candles after they have held their accursed, devilish supper. Bah, you want to teach me how to preach, I suppose; see.

Jac. If this were true, it would certainly now be known to all the world; for the Calvinists have had public churches, in which they have preached, and held the supper; and if they had undertaken to put forth such things in them, in regard to having the women in common, as you say, what strange things would be noised abroad through every country.

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Anabaptist, and will you now also begin to upbraid me with slandering the accursed Calves-tails,[307] eh? Don’t I say that they do this together, after they have held their devil’s supper when the candles have been extinguished? bah, what strange things can be said of a matter which no one can see? But you Anabaptists, tell us something about your supper; or don’t you have any, I suppose, since you don’t know anything to say about sacraments? Hence, speak, and let us hear: What do you hold concerning the sacrament of the altar?

[307] A term of derision chosen because of its assonance, in the original (Calversteerten and Calversteerinnnen), to the name Calvinists.--TRANSL.

Jac. I have never seen nor read this name in the holy Scriptures; hence I can say nothing about it.

Fr. Corn. Fie, the devil and his mother are here again already. How would you have it called the supper, as the Beggars[308] call it, I suppose, eh?

[308] An opprobrious appellation for the Protestants.--TR.

Jac. I have read much in the holy Scriptures concerning the breaking of bread in remembrance of the broken body of Christ, Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 11; but of the sacrament of the altar I have never read.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you certainly have the Scriptures at your finger ends; and because you Anabaptists will read nothing but simply the holy Scriptures, therefore it is, that you never read of a sacrament of the altar. For as I am informed by my lord, the provincial of the Augustinians, you flatly refuse to hear, by way of instruction, anything that the old fathers, or teachers of the holy Catholic church, write; as St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. Chrysostom, St. Bernard, St. Anselm, St. Bede, Doctor Sanctus, and many others, yea, such as are more ancient yet, as: Irenaeus, Cyprian, Basil, Cyril, and Tertullian. If you would read these, you would find the sacrament of the altar mentioned frequently by many different names, sometimes the eucharist, now a holocaust, then a sacrifice, oblation, etc. But you Anabaptists would far rather delve and root in the accursed, damnable books of your arch-heretic Menno Symons. And therefore you do not know anything of the sacrament of the altar--is this not a fine thing?

Jac. We are satisfied with the simple holy Scriptures; for all that is necessary for us to know for our salvation, we find abundantly contained in them, and we need not to search the doctrines of men.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, speak and let us hear, whether you also believe, that Christ is truly present in the consecrated host with his natural flesh and blood? Now, do you understand it better so?

Jac. Now I understand it much less yet, since nothing is taught in the holy Scriptures of a consecrated host; and therefore we also do not trouble ourselves with such things, but use in our church the memorials of the Lord’s body, as I told you.

Fr. Corn. Bah, what monsters are these memorials? This begins to sound quite Zuinglian and Calvinistic; and are you Anabaptists also Sacramentarians--I suppose so. Bah, what is it about these memorials? Let us hear once.

Jac. The memorials are bread and wine, which we use in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ, because Christ in his last supper commands us, that we are to break and eat the bread in remembrance of his body, which was broken on the cross; and that we are to distribute the cup with wine, and all drink out of it, in remembrance of his blood, which was shed for many, for the remission of sins.

Fr. Corn. Is it possible! you are fine fellows with your memorials. My lords, what do you think of this accursed, hellish devil’s crew? for they are Anabaptists and Sacramentarians. Bah! Jesus, Jesus, worthy mother of God, protect us; what abominableness this is! My, my, my, oh, oh, oh, oh! My lords, now you can well hear, what a Beelzebub brood and hellish generation you have here in Flanders, in the city of Bruges, and you sometimes ridicule my sermons yet, when I preach against these accursed heretics, and say: “That lousy little fool, the crazy friar Cornelis is always engaged with the heretics in his pulpit.” Hear now for yourselves, whether I have not just reason for it. And now listen, you Sacramentarian: Why then did not Christ say, “Take and eat; this bread is a memorial of my body, and this wine is a memorial of my blood?” But he said expressly: “Take and eat; this is my body.” Further: “Drink ye all out of this cup; this is my blood.” Answer me once in regard to this, * * *

Jac. I am heartily sorry that you always get so incensed and excited at my answers, and that you do not consider, that Paul says to Titus, in the first chapter that a teacher must not be angry, snappish or contentious.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, hold your tongue, and answer me without much talk or cackling.

Jac. Christ did not mean that the apostles should eat his body, which the day after was crucified; nor drink his blood, which the next day was shed; but his meaning was, that his body was food for the soul, and his blood drink for the soul, even as bread and wine are food and drink for the body; hence he said: Take and eat; my body is this, or, my body is such as this bread is, namely, food.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, what madness this is; now I could jump out of my skin for anger, yea, should I not? For Christ did not say: My body is this, or my body is such. How you heretics pervert and twist the naked, plain words, This is my body.

Jac. It means the same to say: This is my body, or, my body is this, when regard is had to Christ’s true meaning; for since his body was food, therefore he took bread and said: My body is this, or this is my body, namely, food.

Fr. Corn. Is this not enough to make one crazy?--God bless us again, and the worthy mother of God. Bah, did not Christ say: Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Now, was it the same body, which was given them? then it was not bread which he gave his apostles to eat. Let us hear what you will answer to this.

Jac. Even as I answered, that Christ says, that the same body which was given for us is food for the soul, as bread is for the body of man.

Fr. Corn. Bah, what mischief is this, and shall I not be able to advance something against you, by which I can once stop your accursed mouth? Did not St. Paul say, in the eleventh chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians: Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord? And should it be only a bit of common, simple bread, and a draught of stale wine? Why does St. Paul make such an exceeding great matter of it, and say, that a man should examine himself, and eat worthily of that bread, and drink worthily of that cup; for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. Bah, you accursed Sacramentarian, is it still only a bit of common bread, or a memorial, eh?

Jac. The unworthy eating of the bread and the unworthy drinking of the cup of which Paul writes, lies in our conscience; for if I want to unite with the body of Christ, and with many brethren become one bread, and am at variance or in contention with any brother, I eat unworthily of that bread, and drink unworthily of the cup of the Lord; I shall thereby be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Therefore let a man examine himself, how he stands with his brother; for he that comes hypocritically, with a gnawing, troubled conscience, and eats and drinks unworthily, the same eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning that the body of the Lord in the breaking of the bread (which we break) becomes one with, or is participated in by us; and that the cup of blessing (which we bless) becomes one with, or is participated in by us in the blood of Christ, as Paul writes in the tenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians.

Fr. Corn. There you are caught; for if it is a communion or participation in the body and blood of Christ, it is certainly no longer bread and wine, I think.

Jac. Can you not understand, that by the participation in the broken bread we only signify and remember, that through the breaking of the body of Christ on the cross, and through the participation in the cup, we are become partakers of his blood, and have thereby obtained communion with his body. As we all become partakers of, and have communion in, a bread which we break and eat, so we being many are one body with the body of Christ, because we all are partakers of, and have communion in, his body, which we signify and remember, when we make ourselves partakers and communicants of one bread. This is the meaning of Paul in the tenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, now I understand clearly, out and out, that you Anabaptists are so wicked, false, vile and crafty sacramentarians, as the * * * calves-tails can be; for the sacrament with you is nothing but a representation, signification and remembrance of the body and blood of Christ, and only a bit of bread and a cup of wine. I * * * upon your bit of bread, and your cup, by which you would represent, signify and remember the body of Christ, see.

Jac. I beg pardon, this is strange language concerning the ordinance of Christ; for he has nevertheless instituted the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup for our remembrance. But if the bread is Christ himself, as you say, how shall it be to us a remembrance of Christ, who, according to your saying, is present there himself? And if you get so angry at me, because I called the communion only bread and the cup, you must also be very angry at Paul, because, 1 Cor. 11:26, he writes: “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,” etc.

Fr. Corn. Silence! not so much talk; hold your tongue. For though St. Paul calls the sacrament of the altar so, it was nevertheless Christ himself, as he was born of his blessed mother, and died on the cross, see.

Jac. This is a strange notion of yours; for if it is Christ himself as he died on the cross, then it must also be Christ himself as he rose from the dead, and ascended up to heaven.

Fr. Corn. Yea, in troth, and as he sits at the right hand of his Father, see.

Jac. Why then did Paul say to the Corinthians: “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, shew ye the Lord’s death till he come?” For if the bread had been Christ himself, then the Corinthians might well have said: It is no longer necessary to show the Lord’s death; for he is now come; he is here; this bread which we break and eat is Christ himself.

Fr. Corn. Bah, talk and chatter as much as you will; I flatly say, that the Corinthians ate Christ with skin and hair, as we Catholics also do. bah, see.

Jac. Yet Christ says, John 16:28: I leave the world, and go to the Father. Again, verse 5: But now I go my way to him that sent me. Again, verse 7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Again, verse 10; Because I go to the Father, and ye see me no more. Again, John 12:8: Me ye have not always.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you begin to preach again, do you? And do you think that you can spirit away and wrest from me everything? but wait, wait, I shall come at you in another way. It is John here, John there; but why do you not tell me of what John writes in the sixth chapter, where Christ says: The bread that I will give is my flesh, eh?

Jac. Christ says in the same chapter, that he is the bread which came down from heaven. Here he does not speak of a bread that grows out of the earth.

Fr. Corn. Bah, is this not a wicked, vile, crafty and cunning heretic; for hear how the devil wags his accursed tongue, my, my, my!

Jac. Yet I do not say anything but what Christ himself says and means; for these are his own words, throughout the whole chapter: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” Again: “I am the bread of life.” Again: “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Again, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” Again: “When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? what and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the Spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6.”

From all these words of Christ we are to understand, that by eating his flesh he means nothing else but his word, or his doctrine, by which we attain to the faith, without which faith in him we cannot be saved, and live forever.

Fr. Corn. Bah, are you done preaching now, eh? Did it not seem to you that you were standing in the Gruthuysbusch and preached, eh? But, O, you audacious heretic, show it more fully, that Christ means nothing else by this eating of his flesh, than his word or doctrine. Bah, would you array yourself against the holy council of Trent? For there all the cardinals, bishops and fathers understood these words of Christ with reference to the worthy sacrament of the altar. Hence, let us hear, how you will prove the contrary, you accursed Anabaptist and Sacramentarian that you are.

Jac. You have heard, that Christ in his sermon said to the Jews: “The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am that bread of life: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” Now you must understand, that if Christ by this bread, or by this flesh, meant his natural body, as you say, all men to whom you, according to your saying, give it to eat, would live forever, and none of them would be damned; for if they had once eaten it, they would dwell in Christ and Christ would dwell in them.

Fr. Corn. Bah, hear once, my lords, is it not astonishing, how this lousy weaver, this chandler, comes by this great wisdom. Bah! this filthy * * * bishop, Jacob, would be wiser than all our holy cardinals, bishops, and theologians, or doctors of divinity, who, in the holy council of Trent, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, unanimously concluded, that all the words of Christ, in the sixth chapter of St. John are to be understood with reference to the holy, worthy sacrament of the altar. And now this * * * bishop Jacob the weaver would like to make us believe, that Christ by his blood meant nothing else than his word and preaching; is this not a fine thing?

Clerk of the criminal court. Suffer yourself to be instructed, Jacob, and do not argue so much.

Recorder. I also desire this of you, Jacob, and do not rely so much upon your own wisdom.

Jac. I beg your pardon, my lords, I do not rely upon my own wisdom, but I rely upon the words of Christ.

Fr. Corn. Bah, do you? bah, you do what I will not mention. Bah, you cunning, vile, crafty heretic in quoting the words of Christ, you have very slyly left out, and omitted to say, that in the same chapter he also says: “My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” Bah, do you think you can deceive us by such rascality, eh?

Jac. I have not omitted these words of Christ from craftiness or rascality, but they did not enter my mind; and it is not necessary for me to omit these words, since they tend to confirm the answer I gave you. Namely, if Christ by the eating and drinking means his own natural flesh and blood, as you say, they will all live forever, and not die, or be damned, who have once eaten and drunk in your church, no matter what evil-doers they may be; for you deny the sacrament of the altar to no one; every one that comes partakes of it, and there also come drunkards, gluttons, misers, cheats, swearers, blasphemers, contentious, envious, and unrighteous persons, whores, rogues, adulterers, murderers, and many other wicked people, concerning whom Paul says, 1 Cor. 6:10; Gal. 5:21, that they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Fr. Corn. Bah, but those who first confess themselves, and are absolved by the priest, and then worthily receive the holy sacrament, they will live forever, see.

Jac. Christ does not speak here of eating and drinking worthily or unworthily; but he says, that all who eat this flesh, and drink this blood shall live forever.

Fr. Corn. But St. Paul speaks about eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ unworthily, to the Corinthians, in the eleventh chapter of his first epistle, see there once.

Jac. Hence the breaking of bread of which Paul writes, is another ordinance of Christ, different from this.

Fr. Corn. But you block-headed bishop, Christ with these words, in John 6, did not yet institute the sacrament of the altar, but promised to institute it; saying: The bread that I will give (that is, which he will give when he institutes the mass at his last supper) is my flesh, and the cup of wine which I will give is my blood, not wine nor any substance of wine; so the bread also is no substance of bread; but my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Bah, now where are you? what can you reply to this? now you are caught.

Jac. In regard to this, I reply again, that if Christ means such flesh as you according to your saying, give men to eat, not one of these will die or be damned, according to the words of Christ, but they will all live forever.

Fr. Corn. Bah, for this reason I again ask you, for whom confession and absolution are instituted? for the pigs, I suppose, eh?

Jac. You may very likely suppose this. The blood of Christ was shed for men for the remission of sins, as he says in his last supper, which you now begin to call the institution of the mass. Matthew 26:28.

Fr. Corn. Yes, the supper was the institution of the mass in spite of your teeth. Let us hear once, what you think of the mass.

Jac. Is your mass as something different yet, than your sacrament of the altar?

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, you are a preacher, a teacher, yea, a bishop (though you deny it) of the Anabaptists, and do not know yet, that the mass is something different than the sacrament of the altar. Bah! shame upon you. * * *

Jac. Alas! because these are all things which are neither mentioned nor known in the holy Scriptures therefore I do not understand them.

Fr. Corn. * * * Though they are things which are not so named in the holy Scriptures, they are nevertheless known in the Scriptures; for the mass is a sacrifice or offering, in which the priest sacrifices and offers up the real flesh and blood of Christ for the living, and for the dead, or for the souls that are in purgatory. Bah, do you understand now what the mass is, eh!

Jac. I do not believe that you can sacrifice and offer up Christ again. But I believe, that Christ himself was an offering on the cross for the living and the dead: for Paul writes to the Hebrews, in the ninth chapter, that Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, [and the ashes of a heifer] sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?”

Fr. Corn. Bah, you have preached enough now; for my head begins to ache severely from it. Hence let us now dispute about Anabaptism and infant baptism, and be done with it. Speak, and let us hear why the sacrament of baptism is not necessary to children for their salvation, as you Anabaptists preach and teach; though ill betide you.

Jac. Christ says, Mark 16:16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned. Now if one of the two were necessary to children for their salvation, faith is more necessary to them for salvation than baptism.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? and would you thus exclude from heaven all the poor, innocent children that die unbaptized in original sin? and would you relegate them with so many hundred thousand millions to hell, into eternal perdition, eh?

Jac. No, we do not want to do this: for we believe that infants are nevertheless saved, though they die unbaptized; for they are baptized and cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ, as John says, in the first chapter (v. 7) of his first epistle: “The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.” Christ, also (Matt. 19:14) says: “For of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Fr. Corn. Yes, if they are first washed and cleansed by baptism from original sin, which they have inherited from Adam; otherwise they go to the devil, into perdition, see.

Jac. Paul writes to the Corinthians, in his first epistle, in the fifteenth chapter (v. 22): “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Again, to the Romans, in the fifth chapter (verses 12,15); “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so grace hath abounded by Jesus Christ.”

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, tush, much talk and little information, these are all things that do not concern unbaptized and uncircumcised children. Hence I tell you plainly, that all the children that in the Old Testament died without circumcision, and now in the New Testament without baptism, and will yet die, are damned; and he that says otherwise is a heretic. But now, since you Anabaptists so little esteem baptism, that you allow children to die unbaptized, thinking that they will be saved nevertheless, why then do you who have been baptized once have yourselves rebaptized, and teach others, that they must also suffer themselves to be rebaptized, if they would be saved. Ah, bah, is this not a hellish, devilish madness; frenzy, demonianism, and fascination? * * *

Jac. We, according to the command of Christ, baptize the believing, but you, contrary to his commands, baptize the unbelieving.

Fr. Corn. Indeed, Anabaptist? Bah, though the children are not believing, they must nevertheless be baptized, if they are to be saved; for in the third chapter of St. John’s gospel we read that Christ said to Nicodemus: Verily, verily, except every man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Bah, is this not saying plainly enough, that children must be baptized, though they are yet unbelieving? why then would you Anabaptists upbraid us by saying that we baptize the unbelieving, and that you baptize the believing? Ha! accursed Anabaptist that you are! Bah, answer me now in regard to this. * * *

Jac. Water baptism signifies the washing of regeneration in which Christ baptizes with the Spirit, as John the Baptist said, Mark 1: “I have baptized you with water; but one that cometh after me shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Also in Matthew 3, and Luke 3, we read: “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” Again, John 1:33. “But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” From this we can hear and understand, that water baptism does not give an entrance into the kingdom of God, but only the baptism by the Holy Ghost with which Christ baptizes.

Fr. Corn. Bah, in this you lie, you Anabaptist, with your accursed mouth, for Christ says: “Of water and of the Spirit;” hence the baptism of the Holy Ghost does not alone make the entrance into the kingdom of God, but the water and of the Spirit, see.

Jac. Then I must ask you, whether none were ever baptized by God and by Christ in the Holy Ghost, without water?

Fr. Corn. What a devilish question this is; bah, who is there that could answer to such an accursed question? Bah, see once, with what this * * * bishop, Jacob the weaver, does now come to vex and torment us. Bah, answer yourself.

Jac. Well then, when Christ saw and heard, that Nicodemus was so greatly astonished at the words which he spake to him, and that Nicodemus could not understand his words, and asked, how these things were possible, Christ answered him and said: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” From these words of Christ we can understand, that Christ did not speak of baptism, but that he spoke to him of things that were comprehended in the law of the Israelites, namely, the regeneration by the Holy Ghost, in which all the holy fathers and elect of God, before the coming of Christ, were regenerated or baptized. For if Christ had spoken of water baptism, as you papists think, Nicodemus might have said to Christ: I have never read of a water baptism in the whole law. But now Christ spoke to him of things that were written in the law, or in the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, though he called them by another name, namely, a regeneration of the water and of the Spirit, though the Holy Ghost is therein called a water. But Christ thereby wanted to prove to Nicodemus, in order to astonish him in regard to a matter which he ought to have known and understood very well, since he was a master of Israel. Behold, for this reason the regeneration in which Christ baptizes with the Holy Ghost is only signified by the outward baptism of water.

Fr. Corn. Bah, Jesus, Jesus, how well you can talk, how well your tongue is hung! Bah, never in all my life did I hear the Scriptures expounded so strangely, contrary to the views of our mother, the holy Catholic Roman church, and the ancient teachers and fathers. Bah, now I am not surprised, that the Anabaptists have made you their teacher, preacher and bishop; for to hear such sermons, the people of Bruges ran at so tremendous a rate to the Gruthuysbosch. But I must ask you one more question: When you Anabaptists have children that remain simple or idiots, and they grow to be twenty, thirty, forty, yea, eighty, or ninety years old, do you allow them to die unbaptized, because they cannot comprehend your belief and doctrine? for one that remains all his life simple, or an idiot, can certainly not be taught. What do you do with them at any rate? let us hear once, but briefly; for your long talk begins to be very irksome to these good sirs, as well as to me, and it is getting late, and I am tired, that I am.

Jac. To such innocent, simple and childish persons belongs the kingdom of heaven, as Christ says, Matt. 19:14.

Fr. Corn. Bah! tush, tush, tush! I say that it is not necessary to teach men first their confession of faith, before they are baptized, as you Anabaptists teach and do, when you baptize, or rebaptize; for though the infants are unlearned in the Christian faith, we Catholics baptize them upon the faith of the holy church, and because they have believing parents; therefore they need not be taught first, that they need not.

Jac. Yet Christ says, in the sixteenth chapter of Mark: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Here certainly preaching and believing are mentioned before baptizing. Again, Matt. 28, Christ says: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them,” etc. Here certainly teaching is mentioned before baptizing.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush! you are beginning to preach again, are you? Hence one more question, and then enough. In good faith, if an unbaptized person of your Anabaptistic church were instructed far enough in your devil’s faith, to receive baptism, and he should come to be baptized, and should become so sick and faint as to lose all self-consciousness, and could therefore not confess his faith before or in baptism, would you also suffer him to die unbaptized, I suppose you would? hence your nonsense and twiddle-twaddle deserve no respect or regard.

Jac. Though he should die in that faintness, unbaptized, he would be saved through his faith; for Christ (Mark 16:16) says: “But he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Fr. Corn. Well, I have no desire to dispute any longer with you. I shall go my way, and let the executioner dispute with you, with a burning fagot * * * and afterwards the devil in hell, with burning pitch, brimstone and tar, see.

Jac. No; for Paul writes (2 Cor. 5:1): “If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Fr. Corn. Bah! in hell, in hell. Expect nothing else than to go through this temporal fire into the eternal; hell yawns and gasps for your soul, you accursed, damned Anabaptist that you are, see.

DISPUTATION BETWEEN HERMAN VLECKWIJK, IMPRISONED BY THE LORDS OF THE COUNTRY VAN DEN VRYE IN BRUGES, AND FRIAR CORNELIS, IN THE PRESENCE OF MR. JAN VAN DAM, ON THE 1OTH OF MAY, A. D. 1569.

Fr. Corn. I would say, Good-day, Herman: but I am quite wrought up and angry yet from yesterday, at your accursed hedge-preacher, or teacher, who has so wickedly seduced, deceived, crazed, bedeviled and bewitched you and your fellow Anabaptists by his damnable, hellish, Anabaptistic heresies, out there in the miserable Gruthuysbosch. Hence I must now come here and try whether I can draw you away again from this Anabaptism, and convert you to our Catholic Christian faith; have you a mind for it, or not? Let us hear now.

Herm. To judge from your speaking, I should think that you are angry, and if you had not told me yourself, I would have thought, that you wanted to frighten me. But why are you so angry at that friendly, pleasant man, who I think did not give you one hard word?

Fr. Corn. He nevertheless called me a papist once or twice; but I do not care * * * for that; but I am very angry that he would in no wise suffer himself to be converted from his accursed Anabaptism and all other accursed heresies, in regard to which I have spent so much labor in vain; and the most vexatious of all is, that though I so well showed, and convinced him of, his bad, evil, wicked, false, heretical faith, as these good lords have well heard, it was all of no avail; ill betide him.

Herm. I think, that he nevertheless clearly showed you with the holy Scriptures, that his faith is in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; whereby then could you show him, that his faith is bad, evil, wicked, false, and heretical, as you say?

Fr. Corn. Fie, alas! I already hear by this answer, that I shall win no laurels in the way of converting you. But in good faith, do you people think it enough, only to believe in Jesus Christ? Ah, bah, all the devils of hell believe in Jesus Christ; bah, see here now, what we are tormented with. Bah, you ought to, and must also, on pain of the damnation of your soul, believe in all the other articles of the Christian faith, and the excellent, holy institutions of our mother the holy Roman Church, which by our holy fathers, the popes, have in all general holy councils, been ordained and decreed to be believed and observed. But you Anabaptists neither believe nor observe anything of them, except it be very plainly stated in the holy Scriptures; for if there are any matters contained in the Scriptures, that seem somewhat obscure to you, you will by no means believe them; as, for instance, all that is contained in the holy Scriptures concerning prayer for the refreshing and deliverance of the souls in purgatory; nor all that is said in them respecting the seven sacraments; nor all that they say concerning priestly authority; nor all that is found in them regarding the transubstantiation, or change, of the bread and wine into the real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of the altar; nor all that they contain concerning the perpetual virginity and purity of Mary, the blessed mother of God. No, these and very many other holy articles you will not believe; yea, what is still more abominable, the worthy blessed mother of God, whom you ought and are in duty bound to honor, serve, invoke, and entreat, that she would intercede for you with her dear Son, her you Anabaptists do not esteem better than your filthy, * * * sinful wives. And in like manner you despise and reject all the holy saints and saintesses whom you ought to honor, fast to them, celebrate, invoke, and entreat, that they would stand as advocates or mediators between God and you, and intercede for you; bah! is this not a fine thing? Bah, you are silent: answer me, why you heretics bear such enmity and hatred to the worthy, blessed mother of God, and to all God’s saints; let us hear now.

Herm. That we should hate Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, and the saints of God, this be far from us; but that we do not invoke and entreat them that they should stand as advocates or mediators between God and us, this is because John, in the second chapter of his first epistle says: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” In like manner, Paul writes to Timothy, in the second chapter of his first epistle: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus: who gave himself a ransom for all.” In the same manner he also writes to the Hebrews, in the ninth chapter. But we do not hate our enemies; how then should we hate God’s saints, our fellow brethren and sisters in the Lord?

Fr. Corn. Indeed? if they are your fellow brethren and sisters in the Lord, why then do you bear such enmity and hatred to them, that you help burn or destroy their relics or bones, and break their images to pieces, wherever you have been able to get at them? is this not a fine brotherhood and sisterhood? accursed Anabaptists that you are.

Herm. We do not meddle with your affairs; if you would leave us alone in our faith and in our walk and conversation, as we leave you alone in your religion, and with your images, relics or dead men’s bones, your hands would remain unstained with and innocent of our blood. But you generation of Cain first killed the saints of God, and then take them to exalt and honor them with fasting and celebrating, and erect to them idolatrous images, which they themselves despised and rejected, and you honor their bones, as Christ says, Luke 11:47: Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets: and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also saith the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: that the blood of all the prophets [which was shed from the foundation of the world,] may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel. Matt. 23.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! would you * * * accursed Anabaptists compare yourself to the prophets, apostles, and to God’s holy martyrs, popes and priests, whose blood was shed for the Catholic, Christian faith, of which you Anabaptists are now such enemies, that you through the rejection of the sacrament of the priesthood reject, not only the six other sacraments, and all our Christian ceremonies and acts of worship, but also all the articles of the Christian, Catholic faith, as I have said; therefore you are put to death; do you understand this, you uncouth, blockheaded Anabaptist that you are?

Herm. However uncouth and blockheaded I am, I understand very well that you put us to death because we do not believe or observe these popish, or Romish, church articles, part of which you have mentioned. And you think that you do God service by killing us for it, as Christ says (John 16:2,3): “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

Fr. Corn. Bah! you bewitched and devil-possessed Anabaptist, would you also fain claim this for your side, would you? Bah, and would you charge and upbraid us priests and Catholics with such things, would you? Bah, and would you also say that we priests know neither God nor his Son Jesus Christ, would you? Ah, bah! who knows God and Jesus Christ better than we Catholic priests? Hence this is all spoken concerning the Jewish priests, and concerning the Anabaptists, Calvinists, Lutherans, and other heretics, who in France and Spain in these lands and elsewhere, so tyrannically persecute, trouble, torment, and martyrize us priests, because we have the true knowledge of God and Christ, see.

Herm. It is to be feared that Christ will not know you, though you think that you know him so very well; for you are of so many different orders and rules. You are a Franciscan, the other an Augustinian, the other a Carmelite, the other a Jacobine or Dominican, the other a Benedictine; yea, innumerable are the orders and sects into which you are divided, and each has its special ceremonies and rules, according to which he must live, of which not a word is found in the teaching of Christ; how then shall he know you!

Fr. Corn. Indeed? you hellish, devilish Anabaptist, though we are so diverse in regard to orders, rules and ceremonies, are we ecclesiastics not all comprehended in one sacrament of priesthood, eh?

Herm. Your sacrament of priesthood is nevertheless an article like all the other articles of your faith, of which nothing is found written in the holy Scriptures, hence I have no knowledge of, nor faith in it.

Fr. Corn. Ah, you accursed Anabaptist, answer me then, why God the Father should not be willing to know us, who are his priests, for do we not daily, in the Mass, offer up his Son Jesus Christ, in flesh and blood? Bah, whom should they both know better than us, their priests? What will you say now, eh?

Herm. How shall I here tell you the secret of the mass? I do not myself know it; but you know it very well.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? if you do not know the secret of the mass, how comes it then that you heretics undertake to describe such an accursed “Death-bed of the mass?” in which it says, that the mass, as it were, is lying sick of a putrid ulcer, which she has in her canon, and of which she will have to die. Bah! and do you accursed heretics then not know the secret of the mass, as you call it? Bah! may the devil skin you with the “Death-bed of the mass,” accursed Anabaptists that you are.

Herm. We have not composed or written the book of the “Death-bed of the mass,” and do you take it so ill that I speak of the secret of the mass? is it not a common saying, also among the papists when they are asked in regard to something which they do not wish to tell, they generally answer: “I do not want to tell the secret of the mass.”

Fr. Corn. Bah! the devil and his mother have introduced this saying among the laity. I would that all who use it would sink together through the earth into the abyss of hell, that I would.

Recorder. O father Cornelis, the people say it without thinking any evil by it; I have frequently heard priests say it, and to confess the truth, I have often said it myself, without any evil thought or reflection.

Fr. Corn. Well, it is enough of it; but, you Anabaptist, answer me whether you believe, that the real flesh and blood of Christ Jesus are offered up by us priests in the mass, let us hear.

Herm. You must ask me concerning things that are contained in the holy Scriptures; for I have not studied your faith or religion.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? You crazy, bedeviled Anabaptist, and would you only be asked concerning things that are expressly contained in the holy Scriptures? Come on then, now I will soundly ask you in regard to things that are most clearly contained in the holy Scriptures. Bah! I have heard it said, that you have grown-up children running about at home, that are still unbaptized, nevertheless Christ, in the third chapter of John, says to Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, except every man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Bah, is this not something that is contained in the holy Scriptures, eh?

Herm. When the apostles, according to the command of Christ (Matt. 28), went and taught all nations to believe in Jesus Christ before they baptize them, did the converts to the faith, in the meantime, while they were being instructed, also go about unbaptized at home?

Fr. Corn. Bah, and if your children should die in the meantime, would they not go to the devil in hell, I suppose?

Herm. No, no more than the children or converts to the faith in the time of the apostles.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! that was another thing; those children were circumcised, and thereby they were saved, though they died unbaptized; bah, here you are in a corner, happen what will, yes, yes, yes!

Herm. Those children were not all circumcised; for the faith in Jesus Christ was preached and taught also among the uncircumcised gentiles; now I am out of the corner again.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? I shall put you in the corner again. Bah! as the children of the uncircumcised Gentiles, that died without baptism, went to the devil, so your children that die without baptism also go into eternal perdition; do you understand this?

Herm. Our children that die before baptism certainly do not go into eternal perdition, any more than did the children of the Old Testament, that died uncircumcised before the eighth day.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! do you think that the children of the Old Testament, that died uncircumcised before the eighth day, are saved? bah, this were a fine thing.

Herm. Yes, this we think, without once doubting it, and I am surprised to hear you doubt it.

Fr. Com. Bah, what do you make of the original sin then, which the children inherit from Adam and Eve, eh?

Herm. What do you make of the death of Christ? for John the Baptist said: “Behold, the Lamb of God, which beareth away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

Fr. Com. Bah, Christ bears away all the sin of the world, as you Anabaptists understand, think and believe. Bah, who then shall be damned? no one, I suppose.

Herm. Christ says in the sixteenth chapter of Mark: “He that believeth not shall be damned;” but he nowhere says: He that is not baptized (understand, in infancy) shall be damned.

Fr. Corn. Bah, here you lie with your vile, false, lying mouth; for did I not tell you, that in the third chapter of St. John it is written, that Christ said to Nicodemus: Verily, verily, except every man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God? bah! here I have certainly cornered you, have I not, eh?

Herm. No; for Christ there speaks of no external baptism, nor does he mention baptism; but he speaks of the regeneration which is performed by the Spirit of God, who is sometimes also called a water in the holy Scriptures. For thus says the Lord by the prophet Isaiah in the forty-fourth chapter (v. 3): “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed.” Again, by the prophet Ezekiel, in the thirty-sixth chapter (verses 25,26): “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you.” Again, in the thirty-ninth chapter (v. 29), the Lord says by Ezekiel: “I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel.” Again, by the prophet Joel, in the second chapter (v. 28): “Then will I pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,” etc.

Fr. Corn. Well, all this is done through the sacrament of baptism, when the children are baptized; for then the devil is exorcised by the priest, and they are cleansed from the original sin, inherited from Adam and Eve, and they obtain a new heart and a new spirit; bah, thus does God pour or shed his Spirit upon all flesh; you will not cheat me out of this--you are cornered and remain cornered, see!

Herm. I tell you again, that Christ, when he talked with Nicodemus, meant such a regeneration as does not concern external baptism, nor does it children; but it concerns the true believers in Christ, who are begotten according to the will of God, by the word of truth, as James says in the first chapter. Again, Peter, in the first chapter of his first epistle, says: “See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” Of similar Scriptures which do not concern little children or external baptism, there are more yet.

Fr. Corn. Bah, but if the regeneration of water and of the Spirit does not concern children, they must certainly and unmistakably go to the devil; for you acknowledge yourself, that he who does not believe will be damned. Bah, children do certainly not believe as you also say. And when they besides remain unbaptized, and die thus, they must surely be damned; for by what other way could they be saved, eh?

Herm. By the death of Christ, as I have told you. And Christ also says (Matt. 5:18,19), that to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.

Fr. Corn. Yes, these are the same arguments with which your hedge-preacher yesterday made my spleen run over. Bah, what does all this disputing and arguing amount to; if you would suffer yourself to be converted, you must be willing to be taught, and brought to the Catholic, Christian faith of our mother, the holy Roman church, and to her baptism and religion. Bah, why will you trust so much in the heresies of that damned arch-heretic, Menno Simons, and so firmly rely upon this bewitched hedge-preacher? Bah, why do you not believe me as well as that Menno Simons? for I am as learned, and have read as much, and certainly much more, as this * * * bishop, Jacob the weaver, and as a Dietrick Phillips, and an Ubbo Frisius, and such devil’s brood, I suppose, eh?

Herm. I trust (or build) not upon Menno Simons, nor upon any man; for the prophet Jeremiah says in his seventeenth chapter (v. 5): Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.

Fr. Corn. This is very true; in this you say very well, see; if you begin to talk like this, I feel quite hopeful, that I will convert you with the help of God, from this miserable Anabaptism. So I will first prevail upon you, to renounce the same, and to have your unbaptized children baptized in the Catholic church, by a priest, as a good Christian is in duty bound to do, see. Well, Herman, what think you of this, eh?

Herm. I do not think that you are the man that will convert me to your mother, the Roman church, or who will bring me to it, that I shall have my unbaptized children baptized in the papistic church.

Fr. Corn. Ah bah, how do you talk in this strain again; a thousand devils (God bless us), what has come over you? It seems, as though he would trust no longer in Menno Simons, nor in any other man; but as soon as I begin with kindness and friendliness to admonish him to renounce Anabaptism, and to have his unbaptized children baptized in our Catholic church, he instantly pipes another tune. Is this not a fine thing? If you will not be converted, and have your unbaptized children baptized in our church, after the Catholic rite, you can be burned alive at the stake, see.

Herm. This you papists could also do just as well, even if I turned from my faith, and had my unbaptized children baptized in your church.

Fr. Corn. Be sure, we could; but we would give you the sword. If you will suffer yourself to be converted with kindness, I insure you the sword, that I do.

Herm. For what purpose should you give me a sword? it would be of no use to me, for we use no swords.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, tush! you well understand what I mean by it: you would only be beheaded with the sword, see.

Herm. After I should have truly and unfeignedly confessed, that I had erred in the faith, and after I should have my unbaptized children baptized in your church, would I then, according to your saying or meaning, not be a good, upright Christian?

Fr. Corn. Jesus, yes, Herman, and should you not in every manner, yes, you, faithful Herman, be as good a Christian as any one can be? This is what I like to hear, see.

Herm. And would you papists make no sin of it, to shed the blood of such a good, upright Christian?

Fr. Corn. Fie, tush, tush, tush, bah, is it nothing else? You would have to die nevertheless, because of your having apostatized from the Catholic Christian faith, and having yourself rebaptized, see.

Herm. The shepherd of the hundred sheep, of whom Christ speaks in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, did nevertheless not cut the throat of the lost or strayed sheep, when he had found it; but he laid it upon his shoulders, and carried it home rejoicing.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! what is the use of all this raving and prating? if you want to be converted, be converted, and recant; what shall I say of this? Bah, I should sooner convert the devil in hell and his mother, than I could convert one of these obdurate, petrified Anabaptists; this I swear to you, that I do.

Herm. Therefore I said, that you are not the man who shall be able to prove to me from the holy Scriptures, that my faith, and my baptism, which I received upon confession of my faith in Jesus Christ, is evil; how then should you be able to convert me from it?

Fr. Corn. Indeed? but what devil in hell makes you people so presumptuous as that you have yourselves rebaptized, who have once been baptized? Show me once from the holy Scriptures, that a Christian that has once been baptized is to have himself rebaptized. Bah, I stake my neck, that you will not be able to show this to me with the holy Scriptures, see.

Herm. Alas! poor Friar Cornelis, you have already lost your neck; for in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles it is written: “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now, poor Friar Cornelis, here you lose your neck.”

Fr. Corn. Enough, ah, bah, if they had been rightly baptized, Paul would not have caused them to be rebaptized. No, I have not yet lost my neck, that I have not.

Herm. Well then, I answer the same: if I had been rightly baptized, I would also not have had myself rebaptized. But now you can well hear, that you have unjustly so often called me an accursed Anabaptist.

Fr. Corn. But you were certainly very well baptized; for the priest had baptized you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And afterwards, only six or seven years ago, you had yourself baptized again; are you therefore not an accursed, damned Anabaptist, eh?

Herm. I was not baptized upon my faith in Jesus Christ, but in my unbelief; and when I heard and understood this, I had myself baptized upon my faith, as Christ himself has said in the sixteenth chapter of Mark: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Am I therefore an accursed, damned Anabaptist?

Fr. Corn. Yes, you are and remain a damned, accursed Anabaptist, if you do not become converted. For St. Paul says, that there is but one God, one faith, and one baptism; is it not Anabaptism then, to have one’s self rebaptized?

Herm. For this reason you papists are justly (according to your saying) called Anabaptists by the Calvinists, because you have rebaptized in your churches their children, that had been baptized once out here in their preaching.

Fr. Corn. O you awkward, block-headed Anabaptist, those children were not rightly baptized, and you know yourself well enough how to prove from the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that St. Paul caused those who had not been rightly baptized under John’s baptism to be rebaptized. Bah, are we Catholics Anabaptists? I suppose so, * * * What shall I say now, does it now become fool’s work altogether with the sacrament of baptism--see wherewith we are now tormented and vexed; would you accursed Anabaptist now begin to call us Catholics Anabaptists? Bah! * * *

Herm. I do not call you Anabaptists; for I only say, that the Calvinists call you Anabaptists, because you rebaptize their children, which they had once baptized.

Fr. Corn. * * *

(He spoke here only vile words of abuse.)

Herm. Our baptism is nevertheless administered according to the institution of Christ; for in our church the believing are baptized, but you baptize the unbelieving.

Fr. Corn. Bah, the sponsors believe in behalf of the children, until they are old enough to believe themselves, do you understand this?

Herm. No; I find nothing said in the Scriptures, about sponsors, nor about one man believing in behalf of another.

Fr. Corn. Bah, now you are clearly cornered; for does not St. Luke say in the fifth chapter, that Christ saw the faith of the bearers who let down the man afflicted with the palsy, through the roof with his couch, and that he therefore healed him and forgave his sins, eh? Bah, here for once I have clearly cornered you; get out if you can. Now you have spectacles on your nose, have you not, eh?

Herm. No; for from this it is not to be understood, that the man afflicted with the palsy did not himself believe, or was without faith, as are the children which you baptize.

Fr. Corn. Bah, the old fathers or teachers of our mother, the holy Roman Catholic church do nevertheless understand, that the bearers of the man afflicted with the palsy signify the sponsors, who hold the children when they are being baptized, and believe in behalf of the children, till these are old enough to believe for themselves; for to this end the sacrament of confirmation is instituted, to put the children, when they are old enough to believe themselves, in remembrance that they were baptized. Bah, I could very well show you this from the ancient fathers, but you Anabaptists will rely most firmly on the holy Scriptures alone, so that you will not once hearken to the ancient fathers or teachers of the holy church. Bah, it seems, as the provincial of the Augustinians tells me, that, when one begins to mention something to you from St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, or some other ancient fathers, that you people carry on in just such a crazy and ugly manner, as though one began to speak to you of the very devil--is this not a fine thing?

Herm. Because we wish to be only Christians, therefore we do not want to hearken to the teachings of the ancient fathers; for they describe popery, as of sponsors, of the sacrament of confirmation, and the whole popery which you follow and observe.

Fr. Corn. O you damned, accursed Anabaptist, do you call the sacrament of confirmation popery?

Herm. What else is it then? for I have never read in the holy Scriptures of the sacrament of confirmation.

Fr. Corn. Bah, and are so dull, awkward and block-headed, that you do not understand it, though you read of it; for confirmation means the imposition of hands, see.

Herm. Ah, does it mean this? pardon me, that through my awkwardness and dullness I do not understand such very high and fine Latin.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, did I say it is Latin, see here.

Herm. What language is it then? I certainly would like to know.

Fr. Corn. Bah, that I do not know myself; but we Catholics understand it by the word confirmation, the sacrament of confirmation, or the laying on of the hands of the bishop, when our bishops and suffragans confirm grown-up children or adults, as also the apostles did; hence it is that I say, that you sectarians read of many holy sacramental things in the Scriptures, which you do not understand, and therefore you do not know our sacrament of confirmation, that you do not.

Herm. If your bishops or suffragans by such confirmation and laying on of hands could give to the grown-up children and adults the Holy Ghost, and that they spake with tongues, and prophesied as did the apostles, and also those upon whom they laid their hands, then I should very well understand and know your confirmation.

Fr. Corn. Bah, there had to be miracles then, when the people did not believe yet, in order that they might believe the apostles; do you understand this, you stupid Anabaptist?

Herm. If Christ had commanded you to imitate such laying on of hands, he would also do those miracles through you. Hence, when your bishops do such miracles with their confirmation and imposition of hands, then I shall believe you too.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, tush, these are the same arguments and chatterings which also your accursed hedge-preacher advanced yesterday against the sacrament of confirmation, and the sacrament of extreme unction. Bah, though Christ himself did not command us to imitate it, the apostles commanded us to do it; for does not St. James, in the fifth chapter, command that when any one is sick, the priests of the church are to be sent for, to pray over him, and to anoint him with oil, eh?

Herm. The oil of which James writes must have been another oil than your oil; for with that the sick were anointed, that they should recover from their sickness, and they did recover from it. But you priests do the very opposite; for if you knew beforehand, that the sick should recover, and not die, you would not anoint them with oil; for you anoint no sick persons with oil except those who you think will die.

Fr. Corn. Bah, my lords, did I not well know, that it would be the same thing which it was yesterday with their hedge-preacher? Bah, I lay you a wager, that if I begin to prove to him, from the same fifth chapter of St. James, the sacrament of confession, he will also say, as his hedge-preacher said yesterday, that I also ought to confess my sins to him; just see, with what we are tormented and vexed.

Herm. Did this seem to you so strange an answer from him? for it is nevertheless written: “Confess your sins one to another.” But when you priests learn from people all that you wish to know, then you let them go, and do not yourselves confess to them who have confessed (as you call it) their sins to you.

Fr. Corn. Yes, we call it confession, and it is confession, and shall remain confession, in spite of your teeth. Ah, bah, would it not be a fine thing, if we priests also had to kneel down and confess ourselves to the laity; and would they have the power to absolve us from sin? I suppose so. Bah, what a fine absolution that would be! Bah, and if I here confess myself to you, would you be so presumptuous as to think that you have power to loose or forgive my sins, eh?

Herm. Such power as you or all priests have to forgive sin, all men have; for Christ says, Mark 11:25: “Forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Again, Luke 6:37: “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Anabaptist, have you laymen priestly authority to forgive sin in confession? Bah, the forgiveness of sin of which Christ speaks, Mark 11; Luke 6, does not concern confession or absolution. * * * Bah, we priests have in the sacrament of confession and absolution a special priestly authority to forgive and to retain sin, that we do.

Herm. Whence do you priests get a special authority to forgive sin, more than we, whom you call laymen?

Fr. Corn. Bah, this special authority which Christ delivered to his vicar, St. Peter, and St. Peter left it to his vicars the popes, and the popes impart to us of that power, because they cannot themselves in person everywhere hear confession, and absolve, see.

Herm. That the popes and you priests have the special power to forgive and to retain sin, which Christ gave to Peter, this you will not be able to show to me with the holy Scriptures.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? O you accursed Anabaptist, the executioner will be able very well to show it to you, by kindling a good fire * * * and the very devils in hell will also well show it to you with burning pitch, brimstone, and tar in the fire of hell; this I swear to you, that I do.

Herm. You papists can demonstrate your faith, doctrine and religion with nothing better than with the executioner, and with sword, fire, rope and gallows; for these are the best demonstrations or proofs which you have, and thus your forefathers demonstrated their faith and doctrine to God’s prophets, to Christ, to his apostles, and to the saints of God, from the blood of Abel until now.

Fr. Corn. Ha, you hellish, devilish, damned, accursed Anabaptists, for what do you take our holy fathers the popes and us priests? may thunder and lightning kill, burn and pulverize you. Bah, that I should thus excite, exasperate and disquiet myself for such an accursed Anabaptist.

Clerk of the criminal court. Tush, tush, Father Cornelis, and Herman, speak gently with each other.

Fr. Corn. Yes indeed, be gentle towards such bedeviled, bewitched, heretics, who do not believe anything. In good faith, do you Anabaptists then go thus unconfessed and unabsolved to your supper? I suppose so; for you regard it but as a bit of simple common bread, and a little draught of common, flat wine. The transubstantiation in the sacrament of the altar with you is only popery, yea, sorcery, and we priests are regarded as sorcerers by you, because we adjure and conjure the true flesh and blood of Christ in the host and in the cup, as you Sacramentarians say, ill betide you.

Herm. Such confession, or absolution, or sacrament of the altar we do not use in our church, but we observe such forgiveness of sins, as Christ commands us, Mark 11; and Luke 6, and such breaking of bread, and distribution of the cup, as he in his last supper commands us to do for his remembrance.

Fr. Corn. Bah, but with that forgiveness of sins Christ means this when your neighbor has done aught amiss to you; but I ask concerning the sins which you people have sinned against God, whether you go with these unconfessed and unabsolved to your devil’s supper, eh?

Herm. We pray as Christ has taught us, Matthew 6:12. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” And we use no devil’s supper.

Fr. Corn. Your breaking of bread, and distribution of the cup is the devil’s supper of which Paul writes in the tenth chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians: Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. But the cup of blessing which we bless, that is, we Catholics, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Bah, and is your bit of bread, and your cup with a little draught of flat wine not a devil’s supper? for you sacramentarians do not bless your cup, nor do you consecrate your bit of bread, but it is wine and bread, and remains wine and bread; bah, let us hear what you can answer against this, that will be conclusive.

Herm. In regard to this, I must ask you, whether you yourself believe, that Christ in his last supper meant no other body or flesh, and no other blood, than that which was to be broken and shed on the cross for the remission of sins.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, and should I not believe this? this is quite Catholic, that it is.

Herm. Well you will certainly also confess, I think, that the bread which the apostles ate at the supper was not crucified.

Fr. Corn. Bah, what hellish, devilish, heretical question is this; never in all the days of my life did I hear such a deep question. Bah, I believe and know very well, that the apostles ate the same body or flesh of Jesus Christ, which the day after the supper was to be crucified, see.

Herm. Therefore, poor man, you do not understand the sense or meaning of Christ, though Paul in the tenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians very clearly explains the same, saying: “Behold Israel after the flesh; are not they which eat of the sacrifice partakers of the altar? Thus also are we in the eating of the bread, and in the drinking of the wine, partakers of the body and blood of Christ.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you accursed Sacramentarian, would you compare the flesh of God to the rotten flesh of oxen, and the lousy flesh of sheep, and to the rotten, putrid flesh of goats and other beasts and carrions? * * * Bah, fie, what abominable and horrible heresy is this?

Herm. You understand neither Paul nor me; for what I say is this, that Paul by this comparison of the sacrifices of the altar (which the Jews ate, and thereby became partakers of the sacrifice in the remission of sins) explains and expounds the communion or participation of the broken bread and of the cup of wine (which we eat and drink in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ), that we thus also become partakers in the washing from sins through the body and blood of Christ, which he offered up for the sins of the world.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, see, now I plainly understand your heretical, Sacramentarian meaning, that you only make comparisons and memorials of the flesh and blood of Christ. Eh, accursed Anabaptist, why then does St. Paul say, in the eleventh chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians: “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” Bah, answer me once to this, you accursed Sacramentarian that you are.

Herm. In the tenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians Paul writes: “We being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” Again in the twelfth chapter: “We are all members of one body. If we then are members of one body, unto which Christ has united us together by his baptism and by his Spirit, no external sign can be fitter, to show or signify the union of one body, than that in the breaking of bread we all become partakers of one bread, in token that we being many are one bread and body. Likewise it is also with the wine; for as many grains are ground together, and made into one bread, so of many grapes one drink is made. Therefore let every one examine himself, whether he be worthy of the communion of the bread and of the cup of the Lord, and whether he love his fellow brother with a pure heart: for if he hates his brother, and does not love him, and would besides make himself a partaker yet of the bread and of the cup of the Lord as though he were a member of Christ, he shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and shall eat judgment to himself, not discerning, that the body of the Lord is signified by this communion or participation, that we are members of one body, into which Christ has united us.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, tush! it seems that you also could preach a little sermon in the Gruthuysbosch. Bah, this people know nothing else to do but to preach; but you would have to preach a long time to me, before I would believe that a man will eat and drink judgment to himself on a bit of common bread, and a little draught of wine, by which you Sacramentarians would only signify the body and blood of Christ. Bah, I would rather believe that God’s name is Henry, that I would.

Herm. What greater importance was there in the sacrifices of the Jews, of sheep and doves, than in the bread and wine, which are all types of the true sacrifice which Christ made on the cross in his own flesh and blood? And if the Jews had nevertheless, according to the command of Christ, to lay down their offering before the altar, and first go and become reconciled to their brother, before they were to offer, then a Christian also ought first to examine himself, before he partakes of the bread and the cup of the Lord.

Fr. Corn. Bah, a thousand devils, God bless us, if the bread and the wine are only types of the true sacrifice of the flesh and blood of Christ on the cross why then does he say in the sixth chapter of John: “The bread that I will give is my flesh;” again: “My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed; therefore he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, shall live forever,” eh?

Herm. This argument is against yourself, for you would say that the bread is therefore the body of Christ, and the wine his blood, because Paul says, that whosoever eats and drinks it unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself. And here Christ says: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, shall live forever.” If therefore that bread and wine of which Paul writes, were the flesh and blood of Christ, no one could therein eat judgment to himself.

Fr. Corn. Bah, this accursed Sacramentarian would torment and pester us here, I suppose, with all these abominable blasphemies against God’s true body and blood. Bah, the very devil of hell sits in his accursed mouth.

Herm. I have not mentioned one word about the body and blood of God; how then can I have blasphemed there against?

Fr. Corn. O, you accursed Anabaptist and Sacramentarian, are the body and blood of Christ not also the body and blood of God? are God the Father and the Son of God not one God, or would you make two Gods of them. Bah, are you also a Trinitarian, I suppose, eh?

Herm. Yet you said, when you wanted to dispute about the mass, that you priests daily in the mass, offer up to God his Son Jesus Christ; hence you make a distinction between God and the body of his Son, which you now begin to call the flesh and body of God.

Fr. Corn. Bah, the devil and his mother wag your tongue. You would now like to bite into my trap, would you? Ah, you wicked, vile, false, crafty Anabaptist and Sacramentarian, yea, also Trinitarian, because you speak so abominably of the holy Trinity, do you then not believe, that Christ is the second person in the Godhead of the holy Trinity? Bah, it seems not from your speaking.

Herm. We only know to speak of things that are mentioned in the holy Scriptures.

Fr. Corn. O you Trinitarian, do we not read in the holy Scriptures of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost, eh?

Herm. Yet the holy Scriptures speak of only one God, and of the Son of the living God, and of the Holy Ghost.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? you accursed Trinitarian; if you would read the symbol[309] of Athanasius, you would read of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost, which three persons are therein called one true God, of whom the Father is the first person in the Godhead; the Son is the second person in the Godhead, and the Holy Ghost is the third person in the Godhead; and these three persons constitute the holy Trinity, that they do. Do you understand now, you Trinitarian, eh?

[309] Creed.

Herm. I have not studied the symbol of Athanasius; for it is enough for me, that I believe in the living God, and that Christ is the Son of the living God, as Peter believed (Matt. 16), and in the Holy Ghost, which is shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, as Paul writes in the third chapter of his epistle to Titus.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? you are certainly fine fellows, that God should shed his Holy Spirit upon you who will not believe that the Holy Ghost is also God himself. But this heresy you pick up and study in the devilish books of that accursed Erasmus of Rotterdam, who in his preface to the books of St. Hilary writes, that St. Hilary, at the end of his twelfth book, says, that the Holy Ghost is nowhere in the holy Scriptures called God, but that we have become so presumptuous as to dare call the Holy Ghost God, which the ancient teachers of the church did not dare do. In like manner this wicked Erasmus is also a great enemy of the divinity of Christ. Ah, bah! would you follow this damned Trinitarian, eh?

Herm. We follow neither Erasmus nor Hilary, but we follow the holy Scriptures, as Hilary and Erasmus herein do.

Fr. Corn. Though the holy Scriptures nowhere call the Holy Spirit God, what matters it? The Holy Ghost himself has inspired our mother the holy Roman Catholic church, to call him God, as appears from the symbol of Athanasius, see. But in good faith, if you believe the holy Scriptures, why then will you not believe in the divinity of Christ, eh?

Herm. That be far from us, that we should not believe in the divinity of Christ, that he is divine and heavenly, and not earthly, as you people believe; therefore we are put to death by you.

Fr. Corn. * * * Bah, we put you to death, because you people will not believe, that Christ assumed the seed of Mary his blessed mother, see.

Herm. We believe that the word became flesh, as John writes in the first chapter of his gospel. Fr. Corn. Bah, now I have got you well cornered; for God was the word. And if God became flesh, why then would you bite into my trap, because I say, God’s flesh, God’s body, and God’s blood, eh?

Herm. We too believe that God was the word; but would you then therefrom understand, that the living God (of whom Christ is the Son) became himself flesh? this were certainly contrary to the entire holy Scriptures.

Fr. Corn. Yet Christ says, John 10:30; “I and my Father are one.” Again, John 14:9: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Bah, where are you now, eh?

Herm. Christ also says (John 17:21–23): “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” Again (Acts 4:32): “The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.” Again, Paul to the Galatians (3:8) says: “For ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Again (Ephesians 5:31,32): “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery.”

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, you have preached enough; for all this you have drawn from the venomous breasts of Erasmus. But answer me, why Christ says: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” see.

Herm. Christ also says, John 6:46: “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of the Father, he hath seen the Father.” Again, John 1:18: “No man hath seen God at any time.” Again, John 14:28: “For my Father is greater than I.” Again, Mark 13:32: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” From this it is sufficiently shown that the Father himself did not become flesh.

Fr. Corn. Bah, this you need not teach me; for I say myself that Christ, the second person in the Godhead, or of the holy Trinity, became man, whom you will not call God; do you understand this, you accursed Trinitarian that you are?

Herm. I call him the Son of the living God, as Peter called him (Matt. 16:16), and Lord, as the apostles call him.

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Trinitarian, I could jump out of my skin for anger, that I could.

Herm. Then you must jump out of your skin, when in the second chapter of the Acts of the apostles (verse 22), you read that Peter calls him but a man of God, saying: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man[310] approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him.” Again, in the same chapter (verse 32): “This Jesus hath God raised up.” Again, in the third chapter (verse 15): “Whom God hath raised from the dead.” Again, in Acts 4:10: “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” Again, Paul (Acts 17:31) says: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

[310] See German version.

Fr. Corn. Yes, yes, tush, tush, tush, bah! these are the same arguments which this damned Erasmus prefers, in his book, de modo orandi, and in Apologia ad Episcopum Hispalensem, Alphonsum Mauricum. But you Trinitarian, if you will call Christ only the Son of God, you do not esteem him better than Adam; for Luke says in his third chapter, that Adam also was the son of God. Bah! see once, with what we are tormented.

Herm. That be far from us, that we should not esteem Christ better than Adam; for because we believe, that the body of Christ is not earthy of the earth, as was Adam the first man, but that he is a heavenly man, as Paul writes in the fifteenth chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians; therefore we are put to death by you; hence you yourselves do not esteem him better than Adam.

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Trinitarian, how the devil does wag your tongue. Bah, if you will not believe, that Christ is truly man, and if you will also not believe, that he is the true God, what * * * is he then?

Herm. Do not talk so unbecomingly; for Christ is no devil; but he is the true Son of God, as John writes in the fifth chapter of his first epistle; and he is also a true man, as Paul writes in the fifth chapter of his epistle to the Romans.

Fr. Corn. Bah, but does not St. John in the same chapter say of the Son: “This is the true God;” eh?

Herm. No, for John says: We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know the true God, and that we should be in his true Son. This is the true God, and eternal life. Hereby John means this true God whom the Son taught us to know.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you Trinitarian; now it occurs to me that St. John says in the same chapter: There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. Bah, here you are soundly cornered, poor Trinitarian that you are.

Herm. I have often heard it said, that Erasmus in his Annotations charges you papists with having interpolated these words, and that they are not contained in the Greek text, even as you people have taken out and added many other things in the holy Scriptures.

Fr. Corn. Bah, may the fire of hell forever burn and torment you with your devilish, damned, accursed heretic Erasmus. Bah, I could tear my cap for anger, that I could.

Herm. Why then do you not tear your cap, when you read that Greek text yourself, and see that this is not contained in it?

Fr. Corn. Bah, my lords, what do you think of this--am I wrong in so sharply attacking in my sermons this damned heretic, this wicked Trinitarian Erasmus? For it is true, this he writes; yea, what is still worse, in his Annotations to the fourth chapter of St. Luke he has written, that a very great and strange corruption has been wrought in the holy Scriptures in the Greek and Latin copies, that sometimes something is added and interpolated and sometimes something taken away, omitted, and erased, on account of the heretics: yea, that the marginal notes which were now and then written by one or the other have all been foisted into the text, my lords, is it not a fine thing?

Recorder. Ah, Father Cornelis, we are no theologians; we do not understand these things.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? Bah, I believe it; but this Trinitarian would certainly understand it very well, as you hear, that he charges us with it. Bah, he would dare charge us Catholics with his arch-heretic, this wicked Erasmus, that in the ninth chapter of Romans, where Paul says: “Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came;” we have interpolated: “Who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” For this accursed Erasmus writes, that he has great doubts with regards to this clause: ”Oui est benedictus in saecula. Amen. Or these words are to be interpreted and understood as a thanksgiving to God the Father, thus: “Christ, etc, who is over all. God be blessed for ever. Amen.” “Otherwise,” he writes, “I have great doubts, whether this clause has not been interpolated, as I find also in some other texts, that they have added similar clauses, for the conclusion of discourses, as, Tu autem Domine, etc., Gloria Patri et Filio, etc., as their lessons and prayers are all concluded with such clauses.” But as regards the words of St. Thomas, in the twentieth chapter of St. John’s gospel, you have no way of escape; for there St. Thomas said to Christ: “My Lord and my God.” Bah, to this he does not reply, yea, with this he is soundly cornered; nevertheless, he spitefully writes with regard to this: “This is the first and last passage in the Scriptures, where Christ is called God.” Bah, but you Trinitarian, let us hear what you can say to this.

Herm. I reply to this, that Thomas said very well here; for David says in the eighty-second Psalm: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.” Christ himself also quotes these words in the tenth chapter of John. When the Jews took up stones to stone him, because he had said, “I and the Father are one,” Jesus answered them: “Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying: For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the son of God?” Again, Ex. 22:8,9: “If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the gods, etc. The cause of both parties shall come before the gods; and whom the gods shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbor.”

Fr. Corn. Bah, but tell me without many words, why Christ did not say to St. Thomas: Stay: I am not your God? let us hear.

Herm. In regard to this my previous answer, John 10; David in Ps. 82 will serve; but answer me, why Christ did not reply to these words of Thomas: “Upon this rock I will build my church,” as he said, Matt. 16:18, when Peter answered him: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”? He also did not say to Thomas: “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Why also does Christ, John 20:17; say to his disciples: “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”? Again, Matt. 27:46: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, you Trinitarian. Bah, from this would probably follow diabolical arguments which would transcend all human comprehension. Ah, bah, is Christ not truly God? why then do we call his blessed mother the mother of God, eh?

Herm. Because you will nowhere follow the holy Scriptures, but would call everything by a contrary and different name; for the holy Scriptures call her the mother of Jesus, as in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, in the nineteenth chapter of John, and in many other places of holy Scripture, where she is not once called the mother of God.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? Bah, do you think that we Catholics pay so much regard to the naked, bare, meagre Scriptures? Ah, bah, the worthy, holy council of Nice has ordained and decreed that she should be called the mother of God. What do you say to this?

Herm. Do you not hold the last council of Trent to be of as great authenticity, dignity, and holiness as the council of Nice?

Fr. Corn. Yea, in troth, and should we not? Ah, bah, the Holy Ghost taught and spoke just as well through the fathers in the worthy council of Trent, as through the fathers in the council of Nice. Bah, what need is there of asking this question? have you nothing else to ask me? Bah, I well perceive that you would fain drop the subject concerning the mother of God.

Herm. I had to ask this in order to hear your confession in regard to it; for now I know by the council of Trent all the other councils, because I have in my time heard and seen how things went at the former council, which mocks and puts to shame all previous councils.

Fr. Corn. O you hellish, devilish; accursed Trinitarian, you blaspheme the Holy Ghost. It is a wonder that we do not all together with you sink into the earth. My lords, I am absolutely afraid to speak any longer with this Beelzebubian Anabaptist, Sacramentarian and Trinitarian, and enemy of the mother of God, that I am.

Recorder. Can you not keep still in regard to these things, Herman, as we requested of you?

Herm. I do not blaspheme the Holy Ghost, nor am I an enemy of the mother of Christ.

Fr. Corn. Bah, do you not blaspheme the Holy Ghost, when you ridicule, vilify and deride the worthy council of Trent, and all the previous holy councils? and will not call the worthy, holy, blessed virgin Mary the mother of God, as the holy council of Nice teaches and commands us to do? Bah, are you not then a blasphemer of the Holy Ghost, and an enemy of the mother of God, eh?

Herm. You papists were so presumptuous in your council of Nice, that you dared call the mother of Jesus Christ the mother of God, whom neither the apostles nor the evangelists dared call the mother of the Son of God.

Fr. Corn. O you damned, devilish Anabaptist, you hellish Trinitarian, Sacramentarian and deadly enemy of the blessed mother of God, we will call her the mother of God in spite of your teeth, and she is too the mother of God. Yea, she is the mother of God, that she is?

Herm. You said yourself that there are three persons in the holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, and that these three persons are but one true God. If Mary then is the mother of this true God, then she is just as well the mother of the Father and of the Holy Ghost, and of the Son.

Fr. Corn. O you devilish heretic, I have proved to you from the symbol of Athanasius, that the Father is God, and that the Son is God, and that the Holy Ghost is God, and that there are nevertheless not three gods, but that these three are one true, inseparable God, see.

Herm. If these three are not each a distinct, separate God, but if the three are but one true inseparable God, and if Mary is the mother of God, then she must be the mother of all three, or the three must each be a separate God. Where are you now with your council of Nice?

Fr. Corn. Bah, may the fire of hell burn you, you wicked, evil, vile, false, crafty Trinitarian; the devil wags your accursed tongue. Bah, you would drive an hundred thousand doctors of divinity mad and crazy. Jesus, Jesus, worthy mother of God, how you are reviled, despised and rejected by this hellish devil’s brood, But in good faith, how would you have her called--Maeyken Timmermans,[311] as you call her in your hellish, devilish sermons in the Gruthuysbosch, eh?

[311] Probably an allusion to the fact that Mary’s husband Joseph, was a carpenter.

Herm. We call her the mother of Jesus, as she is called in the Scriptures, And how can you say that we revile, despise and reject her?

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Anabaptist, I will drop this, that you will not call her the mother of God; but is this not odious reviling, despising and rejecting, that your arch-heretic, Menno Symons writes, that Christ did not assume the sinful earthly seed of Mary, but that he came with flesh and blood, with skin and hair, from heaven, into Mary, and thus became man, and that he merely passed through her body, as water through a sieve, or through a spout;--bah, is this not reviling blaspheming, despising and rejecting? Herm. You do not understand what Menno Simons writes; for what you here say, cannot be found in his writings; but he shows with many Scriptures, that the Word became flesh (as John writes in his first chapter), and not the seed of Mary.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, was Christ then not born of the seed of David according to the promise; which seed he assumed in the blessed virgin Mary, of her most pure blood, and of that became flesh and man, eh?

Herm. That Christ was born of the seed of David (as regards the generation of which he was born) we well believe; but the angel said to Joseph: That which is begotten in her is of the Holy Ghost, Matt. 1:20. Again, John 16:28, Christ himself says: I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah, Christ says this of his divinity, that the same proceeded, and came into the world from the Father, and not from his humanity, you stupid Anabaptist.

Herm. Why then did Christ say, John 6:62: What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? Again, John 3:13: No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man. Again, Paul says, Eph. 4:9,10: That he ascended; what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens.

Fr. Corn. Bah, you stupid Anabaptist, did Christ then come from heaven into Mary with flesh and blood, with skin and hair, entrails and all, as he ascended up to heaven? Bah, what do you say of this, you great, stupid, awkward ass?

Herm. I do not say this; but I say that the Word came from heaven, and became flesh in Mary, as John writes in his first chapter.

Fr. Corn. And we Catholics say that the most pure blood of Mary became flesh, in spite of your miserable teeth, see.

Herm. This defiance to my teeth is a small matter; but this defiance to the holy Scriptures is a great blasphemy.

Fr. Corn. Ha, you damned Anabaptist, I do not blaspheme the holy Scriptures; but you revile the holy, blessed, pure virgin Mary. Bah, I am surprised that you do not say, that she conceived her son Christ of her husband Joseph, as your hedge-preachers preach in the Gruthuysbosch; is it not a fine thing?

Herm. You wrong us greatly, that you say this of us; for we believe as Matthew writes in his first chapter: “Joseph took his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her first born son.”

Fr. Corn Ah, bah! did Joseph know her afterwards, eh?

Herm. It matters not to me whether he knew her afterwards, or not.

Fr. Corn. Indeed? and do you then not believe in the perpetual virginity of the blessed virgin Mary? let us hear now.

Herm. We find nothing said in the Scriptures, concerning her perpetual virginity.

Fr. Corn. Bah, this accursed Anabaptist would pester me with the Scriptures. Will you then positively believe nothing else but what is contained in the holy Scriptures? Bah, hence it comes that you thus despise, reject and revile the worthy mother of God and imagine, yea, teach and believe that she did the carnal works of the married state with Joseph her husband, just as well as your filthy, sinful wives do with you, and that she had many children by Joseph her husband; bah, is this not a fine thing?

Herm. And if she had done the work of the married state with her husband Joseph, and brought forth more children (which is ordained and commanded of God, Gen. 1, and is a blessing) would she thereby have sinned?

Fr. Corn. Bah, God blessed Adam and Eve, and said: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,” before they transgressed the commandment; but they did not continue in the blessing, but transgressed the commandment of God, and thereby the work of marriage became sin to them; bah, now you are cornered.

Herm. You are cornered yourself; for, Gen. 9:1, it is written: “God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Again, the prophet Jeremiah, in the twenty-ninth chapter, says: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased.”

Fr. Corn. Bah, tush, tush, you have talked enough; bah, hear how much talk there is in this miserable Anabaptist. Bah, now that I hear you talk, I will believe, that you Anabaptists undisguisedly and presumptuously preach out there in the Gruthuysbosch, that Maeyken Timmermans, as regards the work of marriage, was not a hair better than your filthy, unchaste, carnal wives are. Yea, in order utterly to loose the marriage bond, and to show, that women may have divers husbands, you wicked Anabaptists dare preach and teach, that Mary had children of many different husbands, like your wives, whom you have in common--is this not a fine thing?

Herm. Of such things as you here say I never heard our teachers speak once, when they preached the word; but it may sometimes have been asked among us, whether the brethren and sisters of Christ, of whom the holy Scriptures make mention, Matthew 13; Mark 6, etc., were natural children by Joseph or Mary.

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Anabaptist, the holy Scriptures calls some apostles, as St. James, St. Simon, St. Judas, the Lord’s brethren, who were merely his cousins, you stupid Anabaptists that you are.

Herm. Yet, in the first chapter of Acts it is written (after the eleven apostles are enumerated): “These all continued with one accord in prayer [and supplication,] with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Nevertheless, I will not insist upon, or maintain, that Mary the mother of Jesus gave birth yet to other children.

Fr. Corn. Bah, but when you Anabaptists are assembled in the Gruthuysbosch, you will maintain it, and other things yet concerning her, which are still much more wicked and abominable; for I know it well, that I do.

Herm. We are greatly slandered, even as also you often stand in your pulpit and preach about us all that you please.

Fr. Corn. Indeed, do then any Anabaptists sometimes come to hear me preach, eh?

Herm. Though we do not hear you preach ourselves, yet we are told, that you stand in your pulpit and preach, that the Calvinists and Anabaptists teach and preach, that Mary the mother of Christ was a filthy whore, for which you are censured by learned men (in letters which they write to you), how you slander us thereby.

Fr. Corn. Bah, * * * you miserable Anabaptist * * * for such * * * letters I do not care * * * do you understand this? And do you know nothing else to say? Bah, you do not answer me in regard to having the women in common: bah, you Anabaptists have certainly gone about it very cunningly, that you have the women and maidens in common; for thereby you gain such a great number of adherents for your Anabaptism. Bah, but show me once from the Scriptures, that the women and maidens are to be had in common, as you Anabaptists do in your devil’s supper:--bah, see; let us hear, whether you will be able to show me this.

Herm. No; for this I could show to you just as little, as you can show to me from the holy Scriptures, that the women and maidens must be scourged, as you do in your secret disciplining. But you have certainly well practiced the secret disciplining or scourging of the maidens and women, for thereby you gain such a great retinue of devotaries.

Fr. Corn. Bah, I would rather * * * than reply to all your talk; but answer my question. * * *

Herm. All such barefaced lies, as that we have the women and maidens in common, I do not deem worthy of an answer.

Fr. Corn. Ah, bah! Is it a barefaced lie, that you Anabaptists have the women in common? Why then does all the world speak of it, and why then is it printed in so many books, which by us Catholics are written against you, and which I daily read. Fie, you adulterers! fie, you dishonorers of marriage!

Herm. All that are of the world are liars; hence you and your Catholics cannot be believed.

Fr. Corn. Ah, am I of the world, * * * you accursed, bewitched, damned Anabaptist that you are. Bah, you stupid beast, and do you not see, that I am spiritual? But you evince worldly works by having all the women in common; but I have vowed chastity; do you understand this, you dishonorer of marriage that you are?

Herm. We do not dishonor marriage; but if you are spiritual, and have vowed chastity, then it is surprising that you have your delight in this carnal, unclean, secret disciplining, or scourging of the women.

Fr. Corn. O you devilish Anabaptist and dishonorer of marriage, I could almost fly into your eyes or into your mouth; bah, what do you understand about my secret disciplining which I employ with my devotaries? Bah, you are filthy, carnal, unchaste, voluptuous rogues, that you thus use the women in common, like dogs. Yes, you damned dishonorers of marriage are nothing more than rotten, stinking dog carrions; for you go about it in this respect like dogs, though you would deny it before us; bah, fie, fie! shame upon you * * * Bah, if I cannot prevail upon you with kindness, I must try whether I can do it with severity; see now.

Clerk of the criminal court. Ah, father Cornelis, do be modest and keep your temper.

Recorder. Yes, converse together with kind, calm words; for it seems that you will continue to quarrel and bicker here like harlots.

Fr. Corn. Bah, my lords, and may I not accuse him of what is true? I suppose so. Did you not hear yourselves yesterday, that that * * * bishop of the Anabaptists at first also wanted to deny everything; but when he perceived that I was so well acquainted with the matter, he acknowledged that there were some among them, who taught and practiced these things in secret, and when I soundly berated and convicted him with plain and conclusive arguments, he denied it no longer. Bah, why then should I not also have liberty to accuse and convict this one of it? Am I not come here to instruct and convert him? I think I am. See with what we are tormented. Why does he deny a matter which is true? * * * One may certainly talk here, I suppose?

Herm. Then I may also reply to you, that this matter is not true, because these things are lies; and I presume that Jacob, my fellow brother did well reply against it.

Fr. Corn. Yes, until I told him that the Anabaptists at Amsterdam and elsewhere, in Holland, ran stark-naked through the streets, men, women, boys and maidens, and said to one another: “My spirit desires your flesh.” Bah! was this not a fine thing, eh?

Herm. No, this was not a fine thing; and hence we never regarded such as our brethren.

Fr. Corn. Bah! why would you deny it so strongly; for it is well enough known, that you Anabaptists do not regard the sacrament of marriage at all, because for a very little matter you loose and sever the marriage bond.

Herm. Since you bring so many untrue charges against us in regard to our marriage, I must ask you something respecting marriage that concerns you, and which is certainly no lie, for Paul writes thus to Timothy, in the fourth chapter (first epistle): “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, hold your tongue; for we do not want any more preaching here; bah, begone, get you hence. * * *

Herm. If I could be gone from here, I would no longer listen to your blasphemies and lies.

Fr. Corn. Ah, you accursed, hardened, petrified Anabaptist, how the devils in hell (whither you will shortly go) will sit in your accursed mouth, with burning pitch, brimstone, tar, and Greek fire; just wait.

Herm. No; but I shall go under the altar which John saw in his Apocalypse, as is written in the sixth chapter, to the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held; who cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Fr. Corn. Yes, the devil’s martyr you will be. * * * But this preaching would probably last all night; hence I go to my convent, and let you preach as long as you will, you damned, accursed Anabaptist, Sacramentarian, Trinitarian, and marriage dishonorer that you are; see.

In the meantime one of the aforesaid two martyrs, namely, Jacob de Roore, or the chandler, while imprisoned, wrote several letters replete with holy and divine things, which we deem it profitable to communicate to the reader; they are the following:

THE FIRST LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN TO HIS WIFE.

The eternal, imperishable wisdom of God our heavenly Father, the great love of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, for the comforting of your mind, these I wish you my very dear and beloved wife, as a cordial greeting from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

My affectionately beloved and chosen wife, be pleased to know that my mind is tolerably well, the Lord be praised forever for his grace, except that I am very sorrowful for your and for the children’s sake, since I love you and them from the heart, so that I know of nothing under heaven for which I would be willing to leave you; but for the Lord and his invisible riches we must forsake everything, through the love of God, which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.

Hence Christ says: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37,38. And he also says: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother,... he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26. Yes, brothers and sisters, wife and children, and our own life also, with all that we possess, or we cannot be Christ’s disciples; although this hatred extends only so far as these things cleave to us, to draw us away from Christ. Hence we must overcome and forsake them through the love of God, for thereby we prove that we love God above all, with all our strength, and with all our ability, which is the greatest commandment in the law, of which Paul says: “The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” 1 Tim. 1:5. By this love and faith one must confess Christ unfeignedly, and not forsake him for father or mother, for wife or children, or for his own life. Hence Solomon writes: “Love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, and a flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” (Sol. Song 8:6,7); for it cannot be bought with riches, but it is given for nought by God, through the Holy Ghost, to those that seek him in truth.

Therefore, I pray you, my dear wife, that you seek to possess your soul in patience, and do not grieve too much on account of this my trial, which happens through God’s permission. For I had thought to come and take leave, and to send you away with H., or with some one else; but the Lord did not permit me--he knows why it is. Still I am grieving much on your account, for I leave you in great distress. But I hope that the Lord, who has taken me from you, will help you and provide for you, according to his promise, since he feeds the ravens and little animals, because they are his creatures; how much more then shall he provide for his elect, who cry day and night unto him? Therefore did Peter say: Cast all your care upon the Lord; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7. As also David says: The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Ps. 145:15.

Thus, my dear wife, trust in the Lord, this I pray you; for he that ministereth seed to the sower, will also minister bread for your food. 2 Cor. 9:10. And move to the country of C., where there is much tranquillity. And the brethren said, that they would assist us in whatever they could. I had made such good arrangements, that I hoped that it would please you well, which I intend to let you know yet.

Furthermore, I pray you, my dear and much beloved wife, that you do the best with my children, to bring them up in the fear of God, with good instruction and chastening, while they are still young; for with the rod their back is bowed, and they are brought into obedience to their parents. Hence it is written: He that loveth his son causeth him oft to feel the rod; and he that spareth his rod, hateth his son: but he that loveth him instructeth him betimes. Sir. 30:1; Prov. 13:24. For instruction must accompany chastisement: for chastisement demands obedience, and if one is to obey, he must first be instructed. This instruction does not consist in hard words, or loud yelling; for this the children learn to imitate; but if one conducts himself properly towards them, they have a good example, and learn propriety; for by the children the parents are known. And parents must not provoke their children to anger, lest they be discouraged; but must bring them up with admonition and good instruction. Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21.

Thus, my dear and much beloved wife, do the best with them, this I pray you; and take heed to yourself, that you may receive the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul, 1 Peter 1:9. And do not faint because of the tribulation which we must suffer, but remember how the innocent lamb, Christ Jesus, had to suffer from the beginning in the faithful. Hence the Lord says: “He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye.” Zech. 2:8. To Paul he said: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And Paul said: Who art thou, lord? He said: I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest. Acts 9:4,5. Not that he persecuted Christ according to the flesh; for the latter had died, before he persecuted: but he persecuted the Christians, in whom Christ lived according to the spirit; for they do not live to themselves, but Christ lives in them. Rom. 14:7. Hence, when they suffer, they do not suffer for their own name, but for the name of Christ; for if they lived to themselves, they would not be in trouble, for the world would love them; but because they are not of the world, and because Christ has chosen them from the world, therefore the world hates them. John 15:19. Hence Peter says: If ye suffer for the name of Christ, happy are ye: for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 1 Peter 4:14. For they are comforted by the same Spirit, so that we know: As the sufferings of Christ abound in them, so their consolation also aboundeth by Christ, namely, if they suffer with him, they shall also rejoice with him; for their light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; because they look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:12; 2 Cor. 4:17,18. Hence Paul says: I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us; for we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, where mortality will be swallowed up of life; for there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, neither any heat, for God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 5:1; Heb. 11:10; 2 Cor. 5:4; Rev. 21:4; Is. 25:8.

Then they shall leap as the calves of the stall; then they shall triumph upon Mount Sion, have palms in their hands, and receive the crown of honor, which God has prepared for all them that love him and his appearing. Mal. 4:2; 2 Esd. 2:42; Wis. 5:16.

Thus, my dear wife, comfort yourself with these words, and be patient in your tribulation, this I pray you; for though I am thus taken from you, think that we are not assured of each other; for we must all die, and the Lord has long permitted us to be together, considering the perils in which we walked.

There have been so many within our time, who had to leave each other, some through imprisonment, some dying of sickness. But there is no more glorious death, than that for the name of Christ; for not all are made worthy of God to suffer for his name, for this is acceptable with God, says Peter, 1 Pet. 2:20. Hence he and John went their way rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Acts 5:41.

O my dear and beloved wife, it would greatly rejoice me if I could hear that you were of good cheer; for every time that I have written your or the children’s names, I could not refrain from weeping. Nevertheless, as regards my own self, I am of reasonably good cheer, the Lord be praised for his grace; so that I would not have thought it before my apprehension--so weak did I find myself. Hence Christ did truly say: I will not leave you comfortless; but I will come to you. John 14:18. Herewith I will commend you, my dear and much beloved wife, to the Lord, who is able to keep your treasure, and to give you an inheritance with all them who through faith in Jesus Christ shall be sanctified. May the Lord Almighty strengthen you by his Spirit. Amen.

Written on the 24th of April, by me, Jacob, your husband. Have this copied, and keep it in remembrance of me; for I do not know whether I can write you any more. Greet all the brethren and sisters much in my name, and all them that fear God; my children B. and his wife; your brother T. and his wife; J. and F. T. and F. his brother; J. de L. and his wife; and my friends at Kortrijck.

_Alle die lijden na den Wille Godts, wilt hierop mercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Schepper met goede wercken._ (1 Pet. 4:19.)

JACOB, your husband.

THE SECOND LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, TO THE CHURCH.

Affectionately beloved brethren, much grace and mercy be unto you from God our heavenly Father, through Christ Jesus his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, through whom the Holy Ghost is given us, that we should be led by him, and guided into all truth, in order thus to be a light in this world, so that we might with a good conscience, praise our Father who is in heaven; to this end may the Lord give his grace, that it may so remain with me, and with all my beloved brethren and sisters, to the end of their life, this I wish them as a friendly greeting and cordial adieu.

Furthermore, my dear brethren, know that, while in the country of C., I was greatly prompted, to appear among you once more, that we might once more enjoy ourselves together; but the Lord prevented it by my imprisonment. Yet, I could not forbear to write you a little, in order to exhort and refresh your minds, so that, as you received the Lord Jesus Christ, you might go on in him, and be rooted and built up in him, and abound therein with thanksgiving. Col. 2:6,7. For, my dear brethren and sisters, if we do not abide in him, it is all labor lost, and we cannot be partakers of his abundant riches, which he has prepared for us in heaven; for we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Heb. 3:14. And if we draw back, his soul will have no pleasure in us. Heb. 10:38. Yes, dear friends, if we abide not in him. We are like a branch that does not abide in the vine, and forthwith withers. It is therefore cut off from the vine, and cast into the fire; for it is of no other use to men, for the prophet says: One cannot make a wooden pin of it. Ezek. 15:5. Hence, according to the words of Christ, such Christians who do not abide in Christ, will be cut off, and cast into the fire of hell; for they are of no use to Christ in heaven; hence there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, [or maketh a lie:] but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Rev. 21:26. Therefore I exhort you, my dear brethren, with the apostle John: Abide in him, that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming (1 John 2:28); that we may then not be like the foolish virgins who had to remain without with shame, because they had taken their lamps and no oil in them. For what can it avail us, that we have simply been baptized, and separated from popery, as though we would be virgins who did not want to remain in such spiritual whoredom; and yet do not have the love of God in us, by which to lead a pure and chaste conversation, to the honor of our Bridegroom; in this case we are foolish to think that by such conduct we can please Christ. For David says: “The King’s daughter shall be brought unto the King in glorious adornment.” Ps. 45:14. Therefore love is the bond of perfectness; for he that abides in love abides in God; for God is love. Through this love we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. Col. 3:14; 1 John 4:8; 5:3.

Thus, my dear brethren and sisters, let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord [when he will return from the wedding]; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord [when he cometh] shall find watching. Luke 12:35–37. For these are wise virgins, who have learned to know the Bridegroom; who know that he takes pleasure in their beauty; whose beauty lies not outwardly in braided hair, or in putting on of apparel; but inwardly in a chaste conversation, in a modest behavior, which is manifested before all men. 1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3. These virgins are baptized not only with water, but with the Holy Ghost and with fire; for they do not only guard against outward idolatry, but will not consent to sin in anywise: nor do they love the world, or the things that are in it; for therein lies not the love of the Father. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world, by which so many a Christian is seduced; even as it is the cause of ruin to many a young girl, when she begins to get proud. Then she becomes desirous after fine clothing; then the young fellows make their addresses to her, who at first do not speak of carnal indulgence, for this would be too blunt for an honorable maiden; but they seek first to incite her heart to love, after which carnal sin will the more readily be consented to.

Thus also, my dear brethren, Satan goes to work with many a Christian; he does not at first tempt them to idolatry, for they would rather suffer themselves to be burnt, when they are pure in their conscience, than resort to idolatry. But he shoots such arrows at them, that they become earthly-minded, seek their own more than that which is Christ’s or their neighbor’s, and dissipate their minds in their occupation and in traffic, and thus the love of the world is apprehended, and temporal riches are cherished more than the eternal. Think, my brethren and sisters, when Satan has gained this point, how easily then one consents to serve idols, and to wed the world; and thus the door is opened wide to Satan, for the light has become darkness, and the day is changed to night, in consequence of which one’s shame or nakedness is not seen; for they are alienated from the life of God through the blindness of their heart. Eph. 4:18. Therefore, dear brethren, take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief [in departing from the living God]. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day: lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Heb. 3:12,13. And take heed that no one neglect the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up, and thereby many be defiled. 2 Cor. 6:1; Heb. 12:15. Therefore endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3), having the same love among yourselves, that you may not be a stumbling-block or offense to one another. But if you see any brother or sister err from the way of truth, run after him, and instruct and admonish him in a meek spirit, until he becomes a Christian, or until he strays into some carnal works; that you may be natured and minded as Christ, and not abuse his ordinance; for one can be too severe as well as too indulgent in reproving. Thus, my dear brethren, have good care for one another, and let each take heed to himself; for this is a perilous time, and love is seen to wax cold in many. Therefore let each lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest you stumble like a lame man, and be not slothful in your business, but be fervent in spirit, and redeem the time; for your time here may perhaps be short, for Satan is stirred up to wrath, knowing perhaps that he has but little time. Heb. 12:12,13; Rom. 12:11.

Therefore, my dear brethren, be vigilant everywhere, and faint not on account of the tribulation which is now seen; but trust only in the Lord, for he has said: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Heb. 13:5,6. For the sufferings which men inflict upon us are transient; hence Christ says: “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but fear him, which after he hath killed hath power also to cast soul and body into hell.” Luke 12:4,5. But if we suffer with him, we shall also rejoice with him.

Therefore, my dear brethren, be faithful unto death, and you shall receive the crown of life. Revelation 2:10. Think, dear brethren, if the children of this world were promised the crown of Spain on some condition, how diligently they would work, how joyfully they would run to obtain it. How much more ought we to be joyful in our tribulation, and with patience run the race that is set before us, since the crown of life is promised us, with which the crown of Spain cannot be compared; for this is a perishable crown, and its glory is not to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Therefore Moses chose rather to live in affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Heb. 11:25,26.

My dear brethren and sisters, may the Lord through faith give you such a heart and vision, that you may with Moses and all the saints of God know what God has prepared for them that love him; for the righteous shall live forever, for the Lord is their reward, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand, and they shall shine forth as the sun in the throne of heaven. Wis. 5:15,16; Matt. 13:43.

Hence the apostle writes: “If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1. By this the apostle indicates, that though our earthly body be put to death here, it shall rise again, and be shed about with heavenly glory. Therefore he writes: “Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior Jesus, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Phil. 3:20,21; Tit. 2:13. By this he again indicates, how gloriously the body will be changed after the resurrection; now it is weak, then it shall become strong; now natural, then spiritual; now mortal, but then immortal; for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal, immortality; then shall the terrible death be swallowed up in victory; then shall the last enemy, which is death, be destroyed; then shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor any heat; then shall the tears be wiped away from the eyes: then shall they inherit all things with Christ, because they have overcome; then shall he lead them to the fountain of living water, and feed them with the hidden heavenly bread, that they shall neither hunger nor thirst any more; there shall the spiritual Solomon dwell in perfect peace with the spiritual Israel, for all his enemies shall be made his footstool.

Therefore, my dear brethren and sisters, be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58.

Herewith I commend my dear brethren and sisters to the Lord, who is able to keep your treasure, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. Pray the Lord for me, that I may contend steadfastly, and continue in the hope in which I (the Lord be praised forever) still stand at the present time. And I pray you, dear brethren, do the best with my wife and children.

Written by me, Jacob the Chandler, your weak brother and minister, on the 18th of April.

_Alle die lijden na den Wille Godts, wilt hierop mercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Scheppers met goede Wercken._ (1 Peter 4:19.)

THE THIRD LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, TO HIS CHILDREN.

May the same God that blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also bless you my children, with all manner of spiritual blessings in heavenly places, that you may from your youth learn to know the Lord, and fear and obey him all the days of your life. This is the most special request that I make to God, that you may be eternally saved, and that the name of the Lord may be praised through you; unto which name be praise and glory now and forever. Amen.

My children, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother (Prov. 1:8; 4:1); be always ready to do what you are commanded of God, that is, that you shall from your youth learn to know, fear and obey him; for obedience springs from the fear of God, and the fear of God comes through the knowledge of God.

Hence Solomon writes: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Prov. 1:7. For a child that knows his father, that he is so honorable and just, that he will not have his children run in the streets with other children, fight, quarrel, use bad language, bring home stolen things: children who know their father to be thus, are afraid to do this, knowing, that if they do this they shall be beaten. Thus also, my dear children, the Lord is a just God, who will not tolerate sin, but will punish them that commit it. Therefore we must fear him, and not commit sin; for the fear of God driveth out sin, and he that feareth God will do good. Prov. 16:6; Sir. 15:1. As Solomon says: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of wisdom, to depart from the snares of death.” Prov. 14:27. For, my dear children, the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23. Hence, since the fear of God drives out sin, through the fear of God, the cause which brings us into death, that is, sin, is avoided. Therefore, my children, begin from your youth to walk in the fear of the Lord, that you may not at any time consent to sin, and may not forget the commandments of your Lord and God; but fear the Lord, while he may be feared. For they that fear the Lord walk in the right way; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Prov. 14:2; Job 28:28.

Hence, my children, fear the Lord, and depart from evil. For the prophet Jeremiah says: “How good it is for a man, from his youth to take upon him the yoke of the Lord, and for one that is forsaken, to be patient, when he meeteth with adversity.” Lam. 3:27,28. And Sirach says: My child, from thy youth receive instruction, till thine old age, and thou shalt find wisdom (Sir. 6:18); for the wisdom of God teaches, that we are to receive God’s instruction, in order to be taught thereby, how we are to depart from evil. “For wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets, saying: How long, ye little children, will ye love childishness? and how long shall fools desire the things that are hurtful to them? and the unwise hate knowledge?” Prov. 1:20. For this is the nature of children; they love to run and play in the streets, where they learn all kinds of wickedness, and do not like to be chastised for it, and kept in the house. By this they are known as children; for they know not how injurious this is to them; for thereby they become alienated from the knowledge of God, and so grow up in wickedness, that sometimes they can only with great difficulty come to the truth. Therefore wisdom calls the children of Israel little children, because they are sometimes so wicked, that they want to live to themselves, and hate the chastening of the Lord, which is nevertheless administered to them out of love, that they should not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32. Therefore, my dear children, beware of all bad company, that might seduce you to cherish the world; for the world lieth in wickedness, and will perish with its lusts. 1 John 5:19; 2:17. Therefore, my children, love not the world, neither the things that are in it; for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 2:15,16. Hence, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. 1 Pet. 2:11. And Paul says: Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22); for youthful lusts have plunged many into ruin, into lasciviousness, whoredom and many improper things. Therefore, my children, beware of whoredom, and all unedifying conduct, in which whoredom has often originated; as dancing and leaping, and the practice of young men and maidens sitting together at the beer table, drinking to intoxication, and speaking improper words, and besides what is done in secret would be too shameful to mention. Tobit 4:12; 1 Thess. 4:3. O my children, beware of such things; for the apostle says: All they that do such things have no part in the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:10. But when you are grown up, and cannot contain, marry in the fear of God. Pray God to provide you a faithful helpmeet, to walk in the fear of God, with a broken, lowly and humble heart.

My children, do not in any wise let pride rule over you in your words or thoughts, as Tobit admonishes his son (Tob. 4:13); for the Lord rejects such as are proud in their hearts, but he has exalted the humble. Hence David says: “I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast humbled me; for before I was humbled I went astray.” Ps. 119:67. Therefore, my children, never exalt yourselves in your hearts, but condescend to men of low estate; for pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall; for they become so proud, that they reject the word of the Lord, and live according to the desires of their hearts; therefore the Lord shall also not regard them. Rom. 12:16; Prov. 16:18; Hos. 4:6.

My children, heed the instruction of your father, and forget it not. Refrain your tongue from backbiting, and beware of lying; for the mouth that lieth slayeth the soul. Wis. 1:11. For liars have no part in the new Jerusalem; but their part is in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Rev. 21:8. And the backbiter causes much contention and discord, and also stirs up strife and envy, and separates friends. Prov. 16:28. Hence Solomon says: “Where no wood is there the fire goeth out: so where there is no tale-bearer, the strife ceaseth 26:20. Hence he further writes: Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee; as also Moses writes: Let there be no backbiter or slanderer among you. 4:24; Lev. 19:16. Therefore, my children, beware of backbiting, and wherever you are at home, keep your lips sealed, and tell not out of the house what is done in it; keep still about all in regard to which silence is expedient, then men will love you. Always be faithful to people, and beware of stealing, for it is a great sin; and thieves have no part in the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10), nor is a thief trusted or loved by any one; but wherever he goes, his hands are watched. Thus, my children, always content yourselves honorably in the fear of God, and beware of all sin and transgression; and do not envy one another, for through envy Cain slew his brother, and the patriarchs sold their brother Joseph; for envy breaks all friendship, causes a man to forget all benefits, and is bent only upon doing harm. The envious man rejoices not when he sees his brother or sister, but turns his face the other way; nor is he grieved at his brother’s misfortune, but is pleased when the latter meets with adversity. Hence James truly says: If ye have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.... For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Jas. 3:14,16. Therefore, my children, do not envy one another, nor any one else; but love one another out of a pure heart, as brothers and sisters ought to; not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother (1 John 3:12); but as Christ left an example, who gave his life for us.

Hence you must also so love one another, not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18); that you may be brothers and sisters, not only according to the flesh, but also according to the faith of the Son of God; for he says: by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. John 13:35. Hence John writes: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7,8. Hence he would have, that children should love one another with true, unfeigned brotherly love, with a pure heart, as being born not of natural seed, which is corruptible, but of incorruptible seed, namely, by the word of God, which abideth forever. 1 Pet. 1:22,23.

Thus, my dear children, I pray and admonish you, love, and bear with, one another, and let one be subject to the other; the younger shall obey the older, that there may be no contention or discord among you. And you, Katelijntgen and Kopken, are the oldest; when you are grown up, take care of the other children, and help them with the labor of your hands, thus showing mercy to them, that you may be children of your Father which is in heaven; for you will perhaps not have your mother very long, and then you are in duty bound to do the best for one another.

Thus, my children, heed the instruction of your father, and forget it not. Obey your mother: for it is proper that children should obey their parents, as is written in Ecclesiasticus: The Lord will that the parents should be honored by the children 3:2. For this was the first commandment in the law, which had a promise: Honor thy father and mother that thou mayest live long on the earth. Ex. 20:12. And the greatest honor that children can show their parents, is, to obey them: To obey them in everything that is not contrary to the honor of God, but when the honor of God is concerned, parents have no power to rule over them, but are themselves in duty bound to admonish their children, to obey the Lord. For they had to teach the law to their children, when they went to sleep, and when they rose up; in which law it was written, that God must be loved above all. Deut. 6:7. Therefore children are not bound to love their parents more than God, and godfearing parents are not to require this, but are to exhort their children to the same, that they should exercise themselves in the love of God, that is: keep his commandments, and be humble before their God (Mic. 6:8), as I hope, my children, that also your mother will do. Hence obey her in love, and be not disobedient to her; for it is written in the law, that he that cursed, smote or disobeyed his father or mother, had to die, so great a sin it is before the Lord. Ex. 21:15,17.

Therefore, my dear children, though you lose me, do not be froward to your mother, but obey her the more, for the whole care of you will now be committed to her. Hence, my children, never grieve her in your life; for in Ecclesiasticus it is written: He that forsaketh his father is a blasphemer; and he that angereth his mother is cursed of God. 3:16. Therefore, love her, and remember how many pains she suffered on your account, and how she bore you under her heart nine months, and how she will have to undergo much yet, to earn bread for you. Tob. 4:3,4; 2 Macc. 7:27. Hence, dear children, when you are grown up, apply yourselves diligently to labor, that you may help your mother to gain a livelihood. And be not idle; for from slothfulness springs much evil, for it makes thieves of children, and harlots of girls, and thus they finally come to a bad end. Therefore, my dear children, do not desire this, but willingly work and labor with your hands that which is honorable, that you may have to give to him that needeth. Ephesians 4:28. And if your mother take another husband, obey him as your father, and honor him; for he will have to care for you, and instruct and teach you as though you were his own children. Therefore, you, as obedient children, are to receive, and not to despise, his instruction. O my dear children, I, Jacob, your father, have left you this as a testament, that you may remember me the better, and know wherein I stood and why I died, of which you need not be ashamed, since it was for the name of Christ. For it is for the Lord’s sake that I leave you; there is nothing under heaven so dear to me that for it I should be willing to leave you; but for the Lord’s sake every thing must be forsaken, father and mother, wife and children, yea, one’s own life, or we cannot be his disciples. Deut. 33:9. But he that for his sake forsakes all this, shall receive a hundredfold, and hereafter everlasting life. Matthew 19:29. Thus, my dear children, with this confidence I leave you. The Lord grant you his grace, that I may find you in life eternal. I now go before you the way which Christ Jesus and all the saints of God went before us: and I know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3:12. And Paul says: Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Philip. 1:29. For what we suffer; we suffer not for our own sakes, but for the Lord’s sake, because we believe in him, and by faith follow and obey him, which the world will not tolerate, for the prophet says: Truth is fallen in the street; truth languisheth in prison; equity cannot enter; he that would depart from evil, and do good, maketh himself a prey. Is. 59:14,15. As Christ says: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19. Hence James says: The friendship of this world is enmity with God; if you would be the friend of the world, you will be the enemy of God. Jas. 4:4. For my dear children, if you would be the friend of the world, you will have to follow the world in her improprieties and false worship; hence Paul writes: “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ?” Gal. 1:10. For such love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called his children: therefore the world knoweth us not, neither knoweth it him. 1 John 3:1. Therefore, if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, it is no wonder that they also call them of his household so; for the servant cannot be above his lord, nor the disciple above his master. Matt. 10:25,24.

Herewith I will commend you, my dear children, and your mother, to the Lord, for whose sake I hope to leave you; who is able to care for you, and to keep you from all evil. The Lord grant you his grace, that you may grow up in the knowledge of God through the Holy Ghost, so that, according to the right judgment of God, you may be found righteous for his kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, to whom be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Written on the second and third days of May, A. D. 1569, in prison at Bruges, where I was confined for the testimony of Jesus, under the house of the Vrye; by me JACOB the CHANDLER.

This I send my dear children, as a brief testament; I also hope to write them my faith, which may serve to show them upon what faith their father died.

_Alle die lijden na den wille Godts, wilt hierop mercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Shepper met goede Wercken._ 1 Pet. 4:19.

THE FOURTH LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN TO HIS CHILDREN; BEING PROPERLY A CONFESSION OF HIS FAITH.

My chosen dear children, I hope briefly to write you my faith, that you may know, that I did not die as a deceiver or heretic, but for the true faith, which avails before God.

1. I believe and confess, that there is one true God, who created and made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that therein is, by his eternal, Almighty and incomprehensible Word, which was with God in the beginning, and was God with the Father. Gen. 1:1; John 1:1,2.

2. And God on the sixth day made man after his image or likeness, that is, according to his nature. But man did not remain as created, through the subtilty of the serpent, in whom the devil worked, so that he brought Adam with his whole seed into death, as is written. Gen. 3.

God created man immortal, and made him according to the image of his own likeness; but through the envy of the devil death came into the world, and all that are of his side follow him. Wisdom 23:24. As also Esdras writes: The first Adam having an evil heart transgressed and was overcome and also all them that are born of him. And he further says: O thou Adam, what hast thou done! for though it was thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but also all we that come of thee. 2 Esd. 7:48.

3. Now when the man Adam with his whole seed had fallen into death, the merciful Father through grace many times promised his Son, who as a spotless lamb, that had been foreordained before the foundation of the world, delivered us from death by his death and blood. Gen. 3:15; 1 Peter 1:19,20. And when the fullness of the time was come, he became man, and was born of the virgin Mary, as had been prophesied concerning him, in these words: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Is. 9:6. And again: “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.” 7:14. Thus, through the power of the Most High he was conceived in Mary of the Holy Ghost, even as the angel said to her: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” Luke 1:35. To Joseph he said; “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of her shall be called the Son of God.” Matt. 1:20. For the Word which was with God in the beginning became flesh, and dwelt among men, visibly and tangibly, so that also his glory was seen, a glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He humbled himself, and took upon himself the form of a servant, became as another man, and was found in fashion as a man. Philip. 2:7,8. And all that he saw and heard of his Father he taught and made known to us, and was obedient to his Father unto death; for he was innocently sentenced by Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and the third day rose from the dead. And after his resurrection he commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel to every creature, and to baptize believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And he ascended up to heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, from whence he shall come again, in the glory of his Father, and in the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the dead. Matt. 28:19; Luke 24:51; Rev. 1:7.

4. I further believe and confess, that there is a Holy Ghost, which proceeds from the Father, and is poured out, through Christ Jesus, upon the believing and regenerated children, as is written in Tit. 3 and Eph. 1, as an earnest of the Spirit, and as an assurance of the mind; by which Spirit they cry, Abba, Father. Rom. 8:15. By this Spirit they are guided into all truth, since he is also their teacher. John 16:13. By the same Spirit the prophets prophesied, since God through him distributes the spiritual gifts to believers, for the profiting of all. Hence the Apostle writes: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–6. These three names are one true God. The Father is the Creator, who created everything by the Son, or his Word; and by his Spirit he has also renewed all things, and has purified believers by the Son, and by the Holy Ghost; in which three names the Apostles were commanded to baptize believers. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 1 John 5:7.

5. I further believe and confess, that there is a holy Christian church, which is the communion of the saints, and the assembly of the believing and righteous, which is the temple of the living God, the pillar and solid ground of the truth, and the city of God in the Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:15. And in this temple the Holy Ghost is the teacher, and the apostles the laborers, who first built this temple. 1 Cor. 3:9. As Solomon, when he wanted to build his temple, sent out his servants, to hew out the stones from a mountain; and the stones having been hewed, when they were brought to the work, they joined them together, so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building; so Christ sent out his apostles, to teach men, and to preach repentance in his name, before they were to be baptized: for they had to be regenerated with the hammer of the divine word, and by the incorruptible seed of God the Father, who is a mountain and rock forever, if they were to be a living stone in the temple of God. 1 Kings 5:17; 6:7; Dan. 2:45. Thus the apostles, as wise builders, first built the temple, and laid the foundation. Hence Paul says, that God has set in the church first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. 1 Cor. 12:28. In another place he says: He set some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For as a body which has many members, and yet is but one body, so also, though there are many believers, there is nevertheless but one body, of which Christ is the head. For Paul writes: By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body ... and have been made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13. And all that are in this temple or city have Christ for their Lord and King; him they must obey; they must suffer him to rule over them, and to bear dominion with the sceptre of his kingdom, namely, with his Spirit and Word; for to him all power is given in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18. The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honor the Son, even as though they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. And as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. John 5:22,23,26. He that hath the Son of God hath eternal life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. But this church has forgiveness of sins through him; for they believe in him, and seek their salvation in him alone, for there is none other name given them under heaven, whereby they can be saved, than by the name of Christ; for he is made unto them, of God, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 1:30. And he gave himself for them, that he might redeem them from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Tit. 2:14. These have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God for their Father, and one Holy Spirit, upon whom and through whom the temple is built and founded. Eph. 4:5,6.

6. I further believe and confess a Christian baptism, according to the import of the word of God, as Christ commanded his apostles, saying: Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Matt. 28:19,20. And Mark 16:15,16: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Thus the apostles did according to the command of their Lord; for on the day of Pentecost Peter opened his mouth, and taught the people of Jerusalem, and reproved them of their sins, so that they said: Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:37–39.

Hereby the apostle proves, that the gift of the Holy Ghost should be given not only to the Jews and their children, but also to the Gentiles, who were far from the kingdom of God, but whom God should also call to it, as the prophet Joel had foretold, that God in the latter days should pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. Joel 2:28. Hence God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the Gentile Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44), in order to convince Peter and his [other] apostles, that he had given power to all men by faith, to become children of God; for with such he would establish his covenant. Hence Peter commanded; that they should be baptized in the name of the Lord; for they had been baptized by Christ with the Holy Ghost and with fire; by which Holy Ghost he purged their hearts from dead works, to serve the living God. Hence Peter said to those of Jerusalem: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Not as though sin could be forgiven through baptism, as may be seen in the case of Simon the sorcerer, who had also been baptized by Philip, but Peter said that he should have neither part nor lot in this matter. Acts 8:21. But they are cleansed from sin through faith in Christ Jesus, in whose name they receive baptism; hence baptism is a sign by which something better is signified; therefore it must be received upon or through faith, for Peter says: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God.” 1 Peter 3:21,22. Therefore Philip, according to the command of Christ, first taught those of Samaria, before they received baptism. Also many Corinthians that heard it, believed and were baptized. Thus baptism must be received upon faith, for the burying of sin (Rom. 6:4), for a washing of regeneration (Tit. 3:5), for a covenant of the Christian life, for a putting on of the body of Christ, for an ingrafting into the true olive tree and vine Christ, for an entrance into the spiritual ark of Noah (1 Peter 3:20), of which Christ is the true householder, as is written concerning him: behold I and the children which God hath given me. Heb. 2:13. And Isaiah calls him, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Is. 9:6. Thus they are baptized by Christ inwardly with the Holy Ghost and with fire, outwardly with water, as the eunuch said: “Here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:36,37.

Thus the true Christian baptism must be received according to the command of Christ, and the practice of the Apostles, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, for the burying of sin, to walk with Christ in newness of life, and that we henceforth should serve sin no more.

7. I further confess a true Supper, or breaking of bread, which Christ himself instituted, and observed with his apostles, with bread and wine. The same night in which he was betrayed, he took bread, gave thanks, brake it, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23–25. From this no one is to understand, that the bread was the body itself of Christ, because he calls it his body; else we must also understand, that the cup is his testament, since he calls the cup his testament. But now they are only memorials, by which his death and the testament (which is sprinkled with his blood), are to be remembered; for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator ... otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Hebrews 9:16,17. Hence Christ confirmed with his death his testament which he made with the house of Israel; and suffered his blood to be shed for many for the remission of sins. Matt. 26:28. And for such a remembrance the bread is broken, and the wine drunk, in the church, as Christ said: This do in remembrance of me. For as the bread is broken in the church, so also was the body of Christ broken on the tree of the cross; and as no one is fed by this bread, but those who eat of it, so also no one is fed, according to the soul, by Christ, who is the bread of life, except those that believe in him. Therefore Judas could not receive Christ, though he ate of the bread; for no one has a right to the breaking of bread, except those who by faith have become partakers of Christ, and one bread with him; and no one has a right to drink out of the cup, save he that is become a child of the new testament (which is sprinkled with the blood of Christ, 1 Peter 1:2), and he must have the law of the Lord written in his heart, and the Lord must have become his God, so that he will remember his sins no more. Jeremiah 31:33,34. For if we are to use a memorial, we must have that which is to be remembered by it. Hence the apostle says: “Let every one examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Cor. 11:28,29); for we must discern for whom the Lord gave his body. Hence, Christians, or those that would be called so, must examine themselves, whether they also have a right to the bread, for it represents much to them, since it becomes to them as a mirror. For it is one bread baked of many grains, which must be alike among one another, because they are ground, made into a dough with water, and baked with fire into one bread, so that it cannot be distinguished which was the smallest or the largest grain. Thus must we also be broken in heart, by the hammer of the divine word (Jer. 23:29), being united together through the communion of the Holy Ghost; and through fervent love be in union and peace with one another, and do nothing through strife or vain glory, but each esteem other better than themselves. Philip. 2:3. They that have thus become one bread with Christ have a right to the breaking of bread, and may receive it in remembrance of him, for such a people he gave his body; they may drink out of the cup, for they are cleansed by his blood, and have by faith obtained that which is signified by the wine. 1 Peter 1:19. Hence Paul writes: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” 1 Cor. 10:16–18. For as Aaron and his children ate the sacrifice, and no strangers might eat thereof, so no one has a right to the breaking of bread and the drinking of the cup, save only the true, regenerated children of God, who are inwardly baptized by Christ with the Holy Ghost and with fire, and outwardly with water, upon their faith, and are thus become one bread and body with Christ. And as the children of Israel had to eat the paschal lamb with unleavened bread, so also the Supper of the Lord must be observed by an unleavened people, who have purged out the old leaven, and are become a new lump; or they observe it to their condemnation. 1 Cor. 5:7.

Thus the bread is not his body, though Christ so calls it; but it is a memorial of his body, which he has given for us. For Christ said to his disciples: He that receiveth you receiveth me. Matt. 10:40. And he also says: Whosoever shall receive such a child in my name receiveth me. Luke 9:48. These words must not be so understood, that they receive Christ bodily; but they that received such a child or his disciples, did virtually as much as though they had received Christ; for they were his messengers, and they received them in his name. Paul also says that the Israelites drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, which Rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4); though Moses with his rod did not smite Christ, but a stone, which signified Christ (Ex. 17:6). For as through the smiting with Moses’ rod water ran out of the stone, so that the Israelites drank; so God the Father by his power caused the water of eternal life to flow, to give drink to the spiritual Israelites; hence he says: which Rock was Christ. They also, he says, did eat the same spiritual meat; though they yet ate only the figurative heavenly bread in the wilderness; but God gave us the true bread from heaven (John 6:50), which is Christ, of which the bread which the Israelites ate was a figure. Therefore Paul writes: They did all eat the same spiritual meat. 1 Cor. 10:3. Christ and his apostles were wont to call the signs and figures as though they were the substance, as in the case of the two wives (Gal. 4:24): Which things are an allegory; for these are the two covenants; though the wives were not the covenants, but they signify the covenants.

So one is also not to understand, that the bread is the body of Christ; else the cup must also be the testament, and the wine his blood, which is not so, but they are only symbols by which his body, and his blood, which was shed on the tree of the cross, are to be remembered. Hence Christ says: This do in remembrance of me.

8. I further also confess a Christian excommunication, or exclusion from the church, which Christ and his apostles themselves ordained and instituted, and this in a twofold manner. In the first place, Christ said to Peter and his other apostles: Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matt. 18:18. For he previously says: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 16:19. And he also says to his disciples: “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. [And when he had said this,] he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:21–23. From this no one is to understand, that Christ gave the apostles such power that they might govern the kingdom according to their will. God forbid; but he appointed unto them the kingdom, as it had been appointed to him by his Father; that they should govern it according to his will. Hence he made them vicegerents, because he could not remain with them. As the King of Spain, when he wished to travel out of his dominion, he appointed vicegerents in his place, that they should govern the people according to his will; however, he does not make them lords over it, but he commits to them his laws, decrees and mandates. Hence, whatever they have bound or loosed here in this country, that is, what they have judged, must stand before the King, as far as they have judged according to his laws and customs; or he would not be a true king. Thus Christ also gave his apostles a rule, after which they were to govern themselves; and he, moreover, gave them his Spirit, in order that they might fully expound it to the church. Hence Christ said to them: “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.” The same he also says with regard to the feet and the eyes. Mark 9:43. Now as among them of Corinth there was such an offensive member, who had his father’s wife, Paul determined with his spirit and with the power of Christ, when they were gathered together, to deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved. 1 Cor. 5:1. Hence, that which Paul bound on earth was bound in heaven, for he did it with the power of Christ; for this was the power which they had received, to cut off such offensive members, and to purge out that old leaven, that they might be a new lump. Hence he writes to the Thessalonians: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” 2 Thess. 3:6. For the dead may not remain among the living, lest their offensive smell be imparted to them, and they also become unclean; hence one is to withdraw himself from all unclean brethren and sisters. The apostle also writes: “A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” Tit. 3:10,11; Rom. 16:17. “Such are to be avoided--for they cause contention and offenses--that the church may not be corrupted by their false doctrine. Hence we are to have nothing to do with those who are excommunicated from the church (1 Cor. 5:11), that we may not defile ourselves with them; in the second place, that they may be ashamed, and repent (2 Thess. 3:14), for it is a punishment for amendment, and not for destruction. Not as Israel’s excommunication which was done by death (Deut. 13:5); but we are to withdraw ourselves from all [such] brethren or sisters without regard of person; for as Moses with his severe, deadly excommunication did not make a distinction of persons, so Christ makes no distinction with his excommunication, which tends to amendment. Hence the apostle writes: “I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat.” 1 Cor. 5:11.

In the second place it is written, Matt. 18, where he [Christ] gives them the keys. If thy brother shall trespass against thee (here he does not speak of offensive members, whom he would have cut off, as is written in the same chapter; for he says:) go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother (that is, if he confesses his guilt, you are to forgive him, for it is not a deadly matter for which God has excommunicated him; hence you are to forgive him, even as God daily forgives you through Christ. Eph. 4:32.) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican (which heathen and publicans were excluded from the covenant of the Lord). Lev. 19:17; Deut. 17:6. From this we may perceive, that this is spoken of sins that may be adjusted between brother and brother, and concerning which the apostles had received no binding keys, except after the third admonition, and then he is not punished for the sin, though the sin is the cause, but for his disobedience. Then said Peter: Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Christ said: I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven; that is, as often as brethren sin against one another, they are to forgive one another, whether the sin consist in words or in works upon which excommunication is not pronounced by the Scriptures. For this is the key with which every thing must be locked and unlocked, bound and loosed, or it will not stand in heaven. O my dear brethren, take good heed, that it be always used rightly, and it shall redound much to your peace.

9. Lastly I believe in and confess a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. For as by one man death came upon all men, so also by one man the resurrection of the dead comes upon all men. Rom. 5:12. As in Adam we all die, even so in Christ we all are made alive (1 Cor. 15:21); every one in his order, for many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Dan 12:2. For the dead that are in the grave shall hear the voice of Christ, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28,29. For their faces shall be blacker than darkness, and they shall be greatly terrified and sigh for anguish of spirit; for they shall all be placed before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall there receive according to that they have done. 2 Cor. 5:10; Jer. 17:10. Then they shall say to the mountains: Come and cover us, that we see not the face of him that sitteth on the throne. Hosea 10:8; Rev. 6:16 Then they shall begin to creep into the holes of bats, and to hide themselves in the clefts of the rocks from the terrible majesty of the Lord. Is. 2:20,21. But it will not be possible; for he shall come in the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they shall then know whom they have pierced. Matt. 24:30; Zech. 12:10; Rev. 1:7. And they shall see the righteous stand in great boldness, and shall say: These are they whom we sometimes had in derision: we fools accounted their life madness: How are they now numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints! Wisdom 5:3. Then shall they fear that terrible sentence; then Christ shall say: “Depart ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:41. But the righteous shall shine above the stars, yea, as the sun, in the throne of their Father, and shall be clothed in white raiment, and fed with the hidden heavenly bread, and eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Then they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; for the Lamb shall lead them unto the fountain of living water; and then they shall inherit all things, for they have overcome. Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43; Rev. 2:7; Is. 49:10; Revelation 7:17.

Behold, how glorious they shall be that are accounted worthy for the resurrection of the just; for this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal immortality. Now it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, 1 Cor. 15:53,42–44. And Isaiah says: But, Lord, thy dead shall live, and arise with their bodies. Is. 26:19,[312] Job says: I know, that my Redeemer liveth, who shall hereafter raise me up from the earth. This my skin shall encompass me, and in my flesh shall I see God; mine eyes shall behold him and not another.[313] Job 19:25. Then shall the mortal clothing be put off, and the immortal put on; then shall they have palms in their hands, and a crown on their heads, and shall live forever; then shall they sit with Christ on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel; then shall they stand in great boldness before the face of them that afflicted them; then shall the bride have her bridegroom, Jesus Christ; then shall she hear his beloved voice: Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 2 Esd. 2:45; Matt. 19:28; Wis. 5:1; Matthew 25:34. Thus I confess a resurrection of the flesh, a righteous judgment, and an eternal life. Amen.

[312] See German version.

[313] See preceding note.

See, my dear children, here I have briefly set forth to you in writing my faith, that you may know, in what faith your father died; and I hope that it may serve for your instruction, and that you may be induced the more to follow the same; the Lord grant you his grace, that this may be accomplished.

Herewith I will commend my dear wife and children to the Lord; may he help and bless you by his Spirit, that you may all grow up in wisdom holiness and righteousness: this I wish you with all my heart. When we are to die, I do not know.

Finished in the year 1569, in May, in my prison, at Bruges, by me, JACOB DE ROORE, or the chandler.

_Alle die lijden na den wille Godts, wilt hierop mercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Sheppermet goede Wercken._ 1 Pet. 4:19

ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON AND SENT TO POUWEL VAN MEENEN, ONE OF HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WHICH HE HAD RECEIVED FROM HIM.

The eternal, incomprehensible God, who is alone wise, grant you his grace, mercy, and peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and fill you with all wisdom, knowledge and understanding, through the Holy Ghost, that you may walk worthily before God, to do his will, to the praise of his holy name, to the edification of his church, and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish, my much beloved and very dear brother Pouwel, as a friendly greeting and for a parting farewell.

After all proper greetings, I inform you, my dear brother, that I understood from your letter, that you request of me, that I should write to you, for a remembrance, concerning all the articles of faith; which I would willingly do for your sake, but I do not think that I shall have the time. In the second place, I understood, that after the writing of the first letter you saw the articles of faith which I briefly wrote to my children.

In the third place, I understand from the little note which you wrote subsequently, that you particularly desire to know my views as to what is to be done with persons who will not avoid those whom the church has excommunicated according to the Scriptures, and are not willing to confess to guilt in the matter. I am greatly astonished that this spirit also manifests itself; but I fear that he is different in his nature from what he pretends to be; for the avoidance is very much in the way of Satan, yet the apostle teaches that it is a good means to make the excommunicated ashamed, that is, to bring him to humility or repentance. 2 Thess. 3:14. But now I hear that the defect in regard to this avoiding lies chiefly, not with those that are avoided, but with those that should avoid. From this it is quite evident, that the reason why they will not avoid, lies with them, and not with those that are avoided, which also appears so to me, since I have noticed and feared that there was a covetous, self-seeking spirit with many, so that the mind was far more exercised in temporal business, traffic, and the like, than in godliness; yea, that they sought more to lay up treasures on earth, than in heaven. And this avoidance is often greatly in the way of this spirit, for it inconveniences him sometimes in his business; hence one begins to consider, whether this cannot be set aside, and this with Scripture; for this spirit is of such a nature, that he does not like to make himself known; but he seeks to cover himself with the cloak of righteousness. He is also not reproved much in the church, or if he is to be reproved, he must be called by another name; for he is sometimes reproved as a heretic, sometimes as a juggler, sometimes as an idolater. And this is the reason, that he can conceal himself so well, but yet manifests his nature in this wise; for wherever he goes he does not go to be idle. Hence the apostle writes: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Tim. 6:10.

The apostle further writes: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us.” 2 Thess. 3:6. And he further writes: “If any man obey not our word, signify that man by an epistle, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thess. 3:14,15. With this the apostle indicates, that the church is as much bound, to have nothing to do with the disobedient, as she is bound to withdraw herself from such as walk disorderly, even though the word withdraw might be understood only with reference to excommunication; for as the church must withdraw herself, lest she should be leavened or defiled by such persons, so she must have nothing to do with them, that they may be ashamed. Again, the church defiles herself, when she does not avoid, since this is commanded and taught her by the apostle, for he taught this, that it should be done, as may be perceived in his epistle to the Corinthians; for he writes: “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators.” 1 Cor. 5:9. From this it seems that he had written them before that time; but as they did not observe it, he explained it to them more fully, for he says; Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But I have written unto you, not to keep company with these. See, he says again: I have written unto you.

From this it can well be seen, that he repeats it, in order that they should observe it better, than they had done before; for they did also not observe excommunication, because they could not avoid; for where no excommunication is, there is also no avoidance, for avoidance springs from excommunication. Hence he reproved them as being puffed up, and that they did not mourn that such heinous deeds were committed among them; and determined concerning him that had done this deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when they were gathered together, with his spirit, and with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus. Hence it is evident from this, that for whatever excommunication is good, avoidance is also good, and that they serve the same purpose. For the apostle says, that he delivered him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that is, for the mortification of the flesh; and concerning avoidance he says: And have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Mark, for what this shame serves; for it serves a woman to wash herself when she is told that she is begrimed; a man, also, that is disrobed, does not want to be seen in his nakedness, for he is ashamed; hence, when some one comes that would see him, he immediately puts on his clothes, that he should not be seen in his nakedness. As Adam, when he knew that he was naked, he forthwith sought to cover himself, for he was ashamed; and he made an apron of fig leaves, to cover his shame. Now we must, according to the words of the apostle, avoid the excommunicated, that they may become ashamed; for if we withdraw ourselves from them, and avoid them, they have cause to consider why this is done, and through this considering to know their nakedness; and become ashamed before the Lord their God, against whom they have sinned, and are thus smitten in their conscience, so that in this condition they dare not appear before the Lord, and hence seek a means to cover their nakedness, but not with fig leaves, as did Adam, but with the skin of the Lamb Christ Jesus, who must be received through faith with a broken and contrite heart. As Adam, when he humbled himself, God put a coat of skins on him, to cover his nakedness. Thus, dear brother, excommunication and avoidance have the same purpose, and they are not contrary to each other; hence the apostle says: Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Admonition is not contrary to avoidance, for admonition serves to amendment, even as avoidance and excommunication serve to it. Hence the apostle does not prohibit it, but teaches that they are to be admonished as brethren; for all that is not contrary to them, namely, excommunication and avoidance, they do not prohibit; but where excommunication is, there must also be avoidance, for it proceeds from excommunication. Hence, when he wrote to the Corinthians, how they should deliver the fornicator to Satan, and purge out the old leaven, he also wrote to them: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without?” Mark, he says, judge; yet he had not written anything from which they might have understood, that the world should be excommunicated; but he had written that they should have no company with fornicators, and in order that they should not understand it with reference to the fornicators of the world, that one should have no company with them, he says: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous; for then must ye needs go out of the world. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? See, he calls it judging, that, as he said, one should have no company with them; although avoidance is not excommunication or the judgment itself, but it confirms the judgment; for when I say: You must have nothing to do with that man, I thereby declare that he is excommunicated, and all that avoid him show that he is judged. Hence he says: “Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”

From this we can well perceive, that avoidance is as well founded in the Scriptures as excommunication; hence those who now reject avoidance, reject the Scriptures, since it is founded in the Scriptures. Therefore, they that will not avoid, sin, not against men, but against the Lord; hence the church may not tolerate such, who so sin against the Lord, and will not confess to guilt; for they are servants of the Lord, to punish all disobedience.

Now we perceive, in the first place from the words of Christ (Matt. 18:15), that if any one sins against his neighbor, by any transgression, he must be reconciled to his neighbor, or he cannot, after sufficient admonition, remain a brother, but he must be regarded as a heathen man or publican, who was excluded from the covenant of the Lord, and with whom the Jews would have no fellowship. John 4:9. And since they must be regarded as persons that are excluded from the covenant of the Lord, because they have only through weakness sinned against their neighbor, and will not confess to guilt; how much more shall they be regarded so who sin against the Lord, and transgress his doctrine--which is frequently done through heedlessness, or self-interest, or for the sake of friends or relatives--and yet will not become reconciled to the Lord?

In the second place Moses writes, that if any one touched a dead body, and would not wash himself the third and the seventh day, he was to be cut off. Yet the dead had to be touched, for they must be buried; and yet, if they would not wash themselves, they had to be cut off; and the priest might not defile himself with any dead person; he was not allowed to go to any dead, for he had the anointing oil on his head. Num. 19:11; Lev. 21:1; 8:12; Ex. 19:10. Hence, if they in Israel had to be so punished, who would not wash themselves with water, from a pollution which was caused by necessity, how shall they now be tolerated in the church, who without necessity, yea, often for the sake of gain, or through the prompting of flesh and blood, defile themselves with these dead, after they have been separated from the church, and yet will not wash themselves, or bear or confess their guilt? These people may not thus be tolerated, according to the view which I have from the Scriptures; and if they are allowed to go unreproved, it must be declared as a liberty, and then perhaps to-morrow already another will arise and demand the abolishment of excommunication, and will prove to you, that you have just as much power to maintain avoidance, as you have to maintain excommunication; and then you will be beaten with your own staff, and thus the hedge will be completely broken down, and the wild boars will run into the vineyard of the Lord, and root it up. Ps. 80:13; Is. 5:5. O dear brother, take heed; blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; let Israel hear the word of the Lord; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering. Joel 2:1; 2 Tim. 4:2.

With the simple that are led astray in understanding, deal in a fatherly, long-suffering manner, if God may haply yet enlighten them by his Spirit. Bind up the wounded; seek the erring; break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Is. 61:1; Luke 10:34; 15:4; Is 42:3. Always take heed unto yourselves, and to the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:28. Hence feed the flock of Christ not by constraint, but willingly (1 Pet. 5:2), and remember that the apostle says: “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me. 1 Cor. 9:16,17. Hence he also says: “Though we might have used authority, as the apostles of Christ, we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children; so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. 1 Thessalonians 2:6–8. And he said, that as a father admonishes his children, so he had exhorted, comforted, and charged them, that they should walk worthy of God. vs. 11, 12; Philip. 1:27; Col. 1:10.

Thus, my dear brother, take heed to your sheep, and tend to your flock with a ready mind, and, when the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5:4; Jas. 1:12. Thus, my dear brother, be watchful, and do the work of a true preacher; make full proof of thy ministry (2 Tim. 4:5) and say like the prophet: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” Is. 62:1. Be on your guard, and watch over their souls, as one that must give an account thereof. Heb. 13:17. If you see the sword coming, blow the trumpet, and warn the people in the name of the Lord, that the drowsy may awake, and the feeble knees make straight paths, and the hands which hang down be lifted up, and you be free of their blood. Hebrews 13:17; Ezek. 33:3; Heb. 12:12,13; Ezek. 3:19,21. To this end may the Lord grant you his grace, and strengthen you by his Spirit, that you may receive the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. Amen.

I pray you, dear brother, receive my brief exhortation in good part, for it has been written out of love; and here you have my simple views with regard to avoidance, and briefly what is to be done with those who do not avoid, and will not confess to guilt. I should have written more fully concerning it, but there was no good opportunity. Herewith I will commend my dear and much beloved brother, whom I love with all my heart, and his dear wife, to the Lord and to the word of his grace. Pray the Lord for us. I thank you heartily for what you sent me; thank Peter very much in my name, this I ask of you. Written on the 17th and 18th of May by me, JACOB DE ROORE.

I wish that you would send a copy of this letter to one of the ministers at Armentiers, or to my wife for this is my desire. Dear brother Pouwel, if you desire anything further, and I have the time, I am at your service, though there is little to be obtained from me. Greet your ministers very much in my name, and all them that fear and love God, where it is convenient.

_Alle die lijden na den wille Godts, wilt hierop mercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Schepper met goede Wercken._ 1 Pet. 4:19

ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON.

I, Jacob, imprisoned for the Lord’s sake, wish my dear brother much grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he would strengthen and enlighten you by his Spirit, according to his pleasure, to the revelation of his knowledge, that you may do his will, so that you, according to the true judgment of God, may be found worthy for his kingdom, through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:1;2 Tim. 1:8; Eph. 3:16; Rom. 16:27.

Very dear and in God beloved brother, as I have remembered by writing many of the godfearing, I can finally not forget to write a little to you in token of the good fellowship which we had together for a time, in Christ Jesus, through faith, but which must now for the Lord’s sake be broken and severed. For, as a wife must, for the husband’s sake, leave all good acquaintance and fellowship which she has besides her husband, and go with him where he pleases, so we must also for the Lord’s sake, forsake all good acquaintance and fellowship which we aside from the Lord have with any person and this through faith in and love to Christ Jesus; for we have not seen him with our bodily eyes (1 Pet. 1:8); hence it is evident that it must be done by faith. For if we love a thing because we see it, it is not done by faith, for this love results from sight, but if we love a thing for what we hear of it, love arises through faith in what we hear of it. As Rebecca, though she did not know Isaac, and, as may be perceived from the Scriptures, had never seen him, yet she, through the words of Abraham’s servant, so loved him that for his sake she left all that she had in Syria and went to meet Isaac. So we must also for the Lord’s sake, through faith, and not through sight, forsake every thing that we have in this world, not only in spirit, as may have been done by us for a time, and which is the smallest part; but now everything must be forsaken indeed by me, unworthy one, in the hope of meeting him in the air, and being ever with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:17.

Hence Peter writes: “At the appearing of Jesus Christ; whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Pet. 1:7–9. Behold, dear brethren, then we shall walk no more by faith, being absent from the Lord, but by sight; then shall the pilgrimage be over, then hope shall cease, then shall we receive what we now hope for, namely, we shall inherit all things, for the marriage shall then be at an end, for the bridegroom shall come for his bride, which is his church. Then shall the vision which John writes be complete: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1. Mark, dear brethren, he says,: “There was no more sea;” for it is much understood to relate to this present time. But we still have a sea, whether this be meant in a natural or a spiritual sense, however one may understand it. For in the fourth chapter (v. 6) we read of a sea of glass, but as I understand it, John speaks of the natural sea, and of the natural heaven and earth. And at the last day, when heaven and earth, according to the words of Peter, shall be dissolved by fire, and be renewed, we find nothing about a natural sea, but it says: “Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness:” for God faithfully keeps his promises. 2 Pet. 3:12,13; Is. 65:17. Then shall his righteousness be revealed; for when God shall give to every one in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad, then shall God’s righteousness be manifest in righteousness as well as in unrighteousness, since he will faithfully keep his promise to every one. Jer. 17:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Rev. 2:23.

And John further writes: And 1 John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; which, dear brethren, has not yet been done, for the tears are still flowing here from the eyes of those who are renewed by Christ. Revelation 21:2–4; 2 Cor. 6:16; Jer. 24:7; Zech. 8:8; Is. 25:8; Rev. 7:17; John 16:20. But when the righteous shall stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted them (Wis. 5:1), then shall the tears be wiped from the eyes; for there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Revelation 21:4,5; 2 Cor. 5:17. Hence Peter writes: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Lord. 2 Pet. 3:11,12. For if we are to inherit the new things, we must here be renewed in spirit; for otherwise we cannot arise to eternal life, for they that have done evil shall come forth unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:29. Therefore Peter writes: Wherefore, beloved, seeing, that ye look for such things (namely, since you expect to inherit the new heavens and the new earth, according to God’s promise), be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord Jesus Christ is your salvation; for God is longsuffering, and not willing, that any should perish, but that they should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:14,15,9; Ezek. 18:32; 1 Tim. 2:4. For if the Lord had come eighteen or twenty years ago, we would, it is to be feared, not have been prepared yet; therefore his having been longsuffering to us-ward will be for our salvation, if we are now found without spot and blameless in the peace of God.

Hence, my dear brethren, take heed to yourselves, and prepare yourselves for the Lord; for our dear Lord stands perhaps also before your door, with the ring in his hand ready to knock. Therefore, dear brethren, prepare your hearts for the Lord, so that, when he comes and knocks, you may stand ready to open to him; for he comes at a time when we least expect him. Hence be sober and watch, and gird up the loins of your mind, and always act manfully in truth, as a valiant hero, to oversee our poor little flock; and lead them into the true pasture of the divine word that they may be fed; for man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4. Hence David says: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; he feedeth me in rich pastures, and leadeth me to the refreshing waters.

But though Christ is the true Shepherd, he has ordained divers ministries in the church (1 Corinthians 12:5) to oversee the sheep, and to lead them to the pasture; for though the children have bread, some one must cut it for them. Hence, dear brother, do the best in this time of need, and stay with them, and, when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. And always see diligently to it, that the church be not left uncared for, but that she may always be served with all the ordinances. Abandon excessive subtilty and human opinions, and tell the people to act according to God’s truth; even as I briefly wrote to our church, and would have written more yet, if I had had more paper. Thus, my dear brother, always act wisely, and keep yourself pure; beware of meddling with the strife of others; examine a matter well, before you meddle with it, for he that meddleth with the strife of others is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Prov. 26:17. But whatever you can speak to promote peace, that do; but speak not what tends to division, for then is not the time. But if a false doctrine arise against the established and well-tried articles of the truth, act as a man, yet with kindness and longsuffering; defend the truth, and turn the foxes out of the vineyard of the Lord, that the tender branches may not be bitten off or torn from the vine, Christ Jesus, but that it may remain sound and fruitful in the Lord.

Therefore, dear brother, exercise yourself in the Scriptures, and give up a part of your temporal business, that through habit your mind may be practiced in discerning good and evil; for temporal business is a great hindrance to spiritual gifts, for thereby the thoughts are filled with anxiety, and become widely scattered. Hence, dear brother, remember that the apostle says, that bodily exercise profiteth little; for it profits the body, but not the spirit. The Lord has blessed you much according to the flesh, so that you are not urged by necessity. But godly exercise is profitable unto all things, for it profits the spirit and the body, since it cares for both, remembers the inner man, and does every thing that tends to his salvation. Such is the nature of godliness; and it does not neglect the body, but knows how to use the temporal things with moderation. And it casts its care upon the Lord, knowing that he cares for it. Hence the apostle says, that it has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Therefore, dear brother, if you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth; and be not like a mole, whose mouth is always digging and rooting in the earth, and which, moreover, is so blind, that he hardly sees the heavens. Not, dear brother, that I say, that you are so; by no means, for I have a better confidence concerning you. But when we thoroughly examine ourselves, we find ourselves to be of such a nature, that we are earthly-minded, and blind in divine things; and though we are enlightened through Christ Jesus, that we have obtained sight in divine things; and been renewed through him, we nevertheless sometimes follow too much our innate nature, by which nature faith must sometimes bow and show its back, for it is crushed down by the innate nature, which through unbelief and want of confidence toward God still bears its fruits, whence it comes that men make shipwreck in the faith; for when two vessels that are enemies to each other meet on the sea, one is seen to vanquish the other. Thus also, faith and unbelief coupled with man’s nature, are enemies to each other, so that they conquer each other. Hence, if we do not by faith firmly resist with the inner man, we shall in the course of time be overcome; for unbelief has much support, in the first place, from Satan, who works in the children of unbelief (Eph. 2:2), in the second place, from our own flesh. Therefore consider, dear brother, if a city is betrayed from within, how great resistance must be made, before the enemy can be put down, and the city possessed in peace. Thus also must we show great diligence, before we overcome all these enemies. In the first place, our own flesh, which is prone to all evil, for it lusts against the Spirit. Gal. 5:17. Hence we must observe how prudent the kings of this world are. When they feel that their enemies begin to bestir themselves, they make provision and strengthen themselves, to resist those enemies. But we, who like kings and men, ought to be prudent in that which is good, and simple as children in that which is evil, when we feel that our enemies begin to bestir themselves, go to meet them; but it is not done through faith, but through unbelief, namely, when we feel that our own nature, which is earthly minded, is not content with a fair profit, but would rather have still more--for it loves money, and hence will not soon be sated therewith--we meet it--we set up two or three additional looms and do not rightly consider how hurtful it is to our faith, and how widely our thoughts are thereby scattered; so that we become much more concerned with temporal, than with the spiritual things; and thus the spiritual gifts decrease, while they ought to increase, and we have no desire to offer our hand to the flock of Christ, and to feed it with what we have received from the Lord. Truly does the apostle say: Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:6,7; Heb. 13:5.

And now, dear brother, though we think, I do not seek to lay up treasures, I do not want to keep the gain for myself alone, consider also, that we are not for ourselves, for we are servants of a great king. Now, if you were a king, and had servants, and appointed one to be your chamberlain, and another to be your halberdier; suppose the chamberlain should forsake the office in which you wished him to serve you, and should want to be a halberdier; consider whether you would be well satisfied with that servant. Thus also, dear brother, the Lord has appointed you his servant, that you should serve him with the spiritual gift which you have received from him; and if you want to forsake that, and exercise yourself with that which is temporal, to serve him with it, consider whether you will thereby please the Lord. And if you will assign as a reason, that it is not your office, know that they must not all be teachers who exhort the church; this is no rule laid down in the Scriptures. Therefore; my dear and much beloved brother, take heed to yourself, and surrender yourself to the Lord, and stay with the church; this I pray you with all my heart, that the little flock may remain together. I hope the Lord will help and keep you until the proper time, if you seek him with all your heart; lay it to heart, this I pray you. I should have written you more concerning it, but there is no opportunity. I hope to write you another letter, if the Lord grants time; you may also lay that to heart. Herewith I commend my dear brother to the Lord, and bid you a cordial adieu. Receive my letter in good part, for it has not been written only for your sake; I wish that it might be read by M., or at M’s., and by all our ministers.

Written in my prison to my dear brother, D. B., by me,

JACOB THE CHANDLER, On the 29th and 30th of May, A. D. 1569.

_Alle die lijden na den Wille Godts, wilt hieropmercken, Die bevelen haer Zielen den getrouwen Schepper met goede Wercken._ (1 Peter 4:19.)

ANOTHER LETTER OF JACOB THE CHANDLER, WRITTEN IN PRISON; IN WHICH HE ADMONISHES HIS FELLOW-MINISTERS, NOT TO FLEE AS HIRELINGS, AND TO LET CHRIST’S SHEEP GO ASTRAY THROUGH LACK OF INSTRUCTION; BUT FAITHFULLY TO DISCHARGE THE OFFICE IMPOSED UPON THEM.

As he had himself been in Friesland, and had heard from the lips of both parties the difficulty that had arisen among the people of God, and understood that they had on both sides sinned against God and their neighbor, and made themselves blamable, he therefore made much mention concerning this matter in this letter, as you, kind reader, may see.

I, Jacob the Chandler, imprisoned for the Lord’s sake (Eph. 3:1; 2 Tim. 1:8); wish all the elders and ministers of the churches in Flanders, who oversee the flock of Christ, and L. V. or A. D., wisdom, knowledge and true love from God the heavenly Father, grace, mercy and peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and true comfort, strength and power, through the Holy Ghost, to serve and oversee the church aright, to be with her as a father, and faithfully to assist her in every need, to the upbuilding of the church, to the praise of the Lord, and to the salvation of your souls. This I wish you, my dear and beloved brethren, as a friendly greeting, and a cordial adieu.

After all proper and Christian greetings, I pray all my dear brethren, to consider my letter in love, even as I testified before the Lord and all the godfearing, that it has been done by me out of love. For having heard that many who oversee and care for the church seek to be released, in order to journey out of the country, love for the people has prompted me to write you, in order to admonish you that you should rightly think of the poor children whom you would leave behind in great misery; whom you have begotten again through the incorruptible seed, and brought into the true way, yea, some of whom have not yet been fully regenerated, and can not rightly discern between good and evil; and if you thus go away and leave the poor children, they are in great peril of perishing, and straying back into the world. Hence, dear brethren, consider how little joy it will be for you when you will hear this of them; for we would not like to leave our natural children in any need if we could with a good conscience help the matter. Now, you may think within yourselves: “I have served the church a long time; another may now serve.” But I say, dear brethren, with David: “Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, if they will not come unto thee.” Ps. 32:9. For we must not render the service of servants, which is often reluctantly rendered, and who look to one another, for they serve for wages, and do not seek the advantage of the house. But we must render the service of children, which is given from love, for they live unto their father, and not to themselves, as Christ did not live to himself, but to him that sent him to be a minister of the kingdom, and conducted himself among them as one that serves (Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27); which service was given from love, not a year or two, but all the days of his life, for he was obedient unto death. Philip. 2:8. And he appointed unto his apostles the kingdom, as his father had appointed it unto him, so that they who according to the gift were the greatest in the kingdom, had to be their ministers and servants. And the apostles took help, and ordained in the church pastors, teachers, ministers, helps, governments, and the like (2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:28), and appointed unto them the kingdom, as Christ had appointed it unto the disciples, namely, to serve the kingdom from love, and to live therein to the Lord and their neighbor, and not to themselves. Hence the apostle complains of some, saying: “All seek their own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Philippians 2:21. Thus met all that serve in the kingdom, who are chosen according to the rule and ordinance of the Scriptures to serve the church, give themselves to the church from love, yet, my dear brethren, with this understanding: if for the church’s sake you suffer loss in temporal matters, it is her duty to assist you. Deut. 12:19; Sirach 7:31; Luke 10:7.

Hence, my dear brethren, let every one of you take heed to himself; for we certainly believe that the choosing of the church is from God. Let us therefore consider; if the Lord has chosen us to serve him in this way, we must give ourselves to the Lord, whenever we have good reasons for it, in this that we can satisfy the church, though we may say: There are others to whom this belongs more properly than to me. This is no reason that avails before the Lord. If one might thereby excuse himself, Jonah could easily have found such a reason; but because he refused to go and proclaim to the Ninevites the will of the Lord, he had to go into the belly of the whale; even as I unworthy one have seen some in my time, who refused too much, but it did not turn out to their good. Likewise, Moses and others sought excuses (Ex. 4:10; Jer. 1:6); but it did not avail them, the Lord said: Do not I know whom I will send? For he needs no counselors; he well knows for what he wants to use us. Nevertheless the example of Moses is much followed in the churches, and it is regarded as an honorable thing for a man to refuse; yet it does not please the Lord, for he was angry at Moses. But the prophet Isaiah did not do thus, but said: “Send me, Lord; and with this the Lord was not displeased.” Is. 6:8. Elisha, also, asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah said: Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, it shall be so unto thee. 2 Kings 2:9,10. And on this wise Paul says: “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1 Tim. 3:1.

See, dear brethren, thus we must follow what is honorable and praiseworthy before the Lord, and think, they that minister well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith, v. 14; Matt. 25:21. As the children of this world, when they can get into the service of any lord, they endeavor to serve faithfully, that they may obtain a higher office; so must we also endeavor to serve the Lord in that wherein we are called, that we may obtain power to rule the heathen with a rod of iron. Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:27. Therefore, my dear brethren, remain together, as long as it is possible for you, and you can encourage one another; but when you begin to separate, you make one another weak; hence remain faithfully together, and take heed to your ministry. You that care for the poor, exercise diligent care over them, visit them frequently, and see how they do; admonish them with a fatherly heart to labor (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:12), and comfort them in their tribulation, for a consoling word helps the afflicted more than the gift. And cleave firmly with your heart in love to your ministers of the word; for you must be one heart with them, and you will be the better able to keep the people in peace; for if the rulers of a country are not at peace among themselves, there cannot well be peace in the land. So also in the churches, if the ministers are at variance with one another, there cannot well be peace among the common brethren. Hence, dear brethren, remain at peace with one another; and you deacons, be a support to the ministers of the word, and take their part; for they must blow the trumpet, that the drowsy may awake (Isa. 62:6; Joel 2:1); and some drowsy people are of such a nature, that they do not like to be waked up: so also some that have become drowsy in sin do not like to be waked up. Hence there is sometimes much talk behind the back of such; therefore you and all pious brethren must defend your man, and talk to the backbiters, and admonish them, and you will encourage your man. And you, dear brethren, who oversee the church with the word of the Lord, remain with the church as long as is possible for you; for if you want to go away, you discourage the other ministers, and weigh them down completely, and scatter the flock. Hence I pray you, for the people’s sake, as one that loves them with a pure heart, do not forsake them, but remain with them, and look at those unto whom Christ appointed the kingdom, as it had been appointed unto him by his Father, how diligently they exhorted the kingdom, and fed the flock. For they deemed it profitable to admonish and to strengthen them, and to stir up their pure minds, as long as they were in the body, that after their decease they might remember the same. 2 Peter 1:13. For the apostle had exhorted them for three years day and night with tears. Acts 20:31. And he taught the bishops of Ephesus, that they should take heed unto themselves, and to the flock, v. 28. Now you will perhaps say: “We are no bishops.” Then I say: They must not all be bishops who exhort the church, or proclaim the word of the Lord; but every one must be faithful in his ministry. For there are manifold ministries (1 Cor. 12:5); if any have a ministry, let him wait on his ministering; if any teach, let him wait on his teaching; if any exhort, let him wait on his exhortation (Romans 12:7,8), and thus feed the flock of Christ, not by constraint, but willingly, for the Lord would be served from love, even as he served from love. 1 Pet. 5:2. Hence the apostle writes: If I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me. 1 Cor. 9:17.

Therefore, dear brethren, accept them gladly, and bring them up with the rational, sincere milk (1 Pet. 2:2), like a good nurse, who so loves her child which she nurses, though she has not given birth to it, that she cannot give it up without tears, when the father comes and takes it home, notwithstanding it is a stranger to her according to the flesh. How much more then shall you love your children, and not forsake them as long as you can remain with them, since you not only nursed them, but may have given birth to a great part of them; and they are your brethren and sisters in the Lord, whereby you are the more bound to them in love, to serve and protect them. As a hen protects her chickens under her wings from the birds of prey; so do you also protect them from evil, wild beasts that cause discord and offenses contrary to the doctrine of Christ; for their word will eat as doth a canker, and will destroy like the pestilence. Romans 16:17; 2 Tim. 2:17. Hence, protect them herein, and separate from such persons; keep the flock in peace as far as is possible for you, and avoid all strife, and do not meddle with it as far as you can keep out of it; for he that meddleth with strife not belonging to him is like one that taketh a dog by the ears, and by strife many a heart is polluted. Always speak, as much as you can, what tends to peace, and not to division, for that is not the time then; for a division is very soon made, which can only with great difficulty be healed, and so many a simple soul perishes thereby. And in my judgment it is no usage of the Scriptures, in times of decay to settle differences by excommunication, though this is sometimes done through zeal; but it is good to be always zealously affected in a good thing. Gal. 4:18. For he that transgressed the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:6; Heb. 10:28); for this example we have first in the Old Testament, where they also had an excommunication, to punish the wicked with death. Nevertheless, the Lord was not willing to use the excommunication, nor did he give the prophets any charge, that the excommunication should be used, but he called to them, that they should repent and be converted, and he would be merciful to them, and purge them most purely from their dross; for he can do this, dear brethren, without injuring the gold or silver. Isa. 1:16; Jer. 4:14; Joel 2:12; Isa. 1:25.

In the second place we have this example in the Testament, first in the case of John and the churches in Asia, how lamentably they had decayed; yet John did not make use of excommunication with respect to them, nor do we find that the Lord once asked him why he had not done this; but he called them to repentance through John, which if they would not do, he would remove their candlestick out of his place. Rev. 2 and 3. And whether the apostle insisted as strongly on excommunication, in regard to that one fornicator, in the second epistle to the Corinthians, as he did in the first, this every one may consider; for the apostles always had a godly care for the simple, and sought to prevent divisions, as far as was possible for them; hence they tried every means to allay strife, as can clearly be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. For when the Jewish brethren came to trouble the believers among the Gentiles, saying: Except ye be circumcised according to the law of Moses, ye cannot be saved: so that there was a great uproar among the people, there rose up also at Jerusalem certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses; which was certainly great injudiciousness. Yet the elders and the apostles did not persist in charging them with their unwise course, for fear of division, but met the Jewish brethren, to avoid division, and adopted certain articles from the law, which were not contrary to the evangelical truth, and determined that those who had been converted from among the Gentiles should not be troubled, and that no burden should be laid upon them, than that they should abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. Acts 15; 1 Cor. 10:28; 1 Thess. 4:3; Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26. By this the Jews were pacified, for they might easily think that they were right in a measure at least, because some articles from the law were imposed upon the Gentiles. As also in the twenty-first chapter, how they allayed the strife or offense that was between the Jews and Paul. They had heard that Paul taught to forsake Moses; hence the elders advised that Paul should take four men unto him, and go into the temple, and purify themselves and shave their heads. This they were not bound by conscience to do, but they did it for the sake of the Jewish brethren, for they [the elders] said: They will know that those things whereof they were informed concerning thee are nothing. Then he went to signify to them the accomplishment of the days of purification. Acts 21. For when they were pacified it was easier to persuade them that the law had an end in Christ. Rom. 10:4. But they did not determine, that Paul should stand still in his ministry till he had pacified them; for this would frequently have had to be done, since there was often talk about him, as can well be seen in the epistle to the Corinthians but with him it was a very small matter that he should be judged of them, or of man’s judgment, for he says: I judge not mine own self. 1 Cor. 4:3. Nor does this tend to peace, but to more strife; for a church cannot be kept in quietude when she has to lose her pastor, because there are persons that talk about him, and do not know what the matter is, nor whether they say it justly or unjustly of him. Hence the accuser must come before his church, and accuse him there; if they are matters of which they cannot agree together, the church may hear the matter, and if the accused is guilty, she may help punish him; thus she will be delivered from his hand, so that he can make no trouble. And thus the matter must first be proven, before the church can be helped, and also before punishment can take place. Hence Paul writes to Timothy: Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. 1 Tim 5:19. For he well knew that there is often much said about them. Therefore, dear brethren, continue steadfast, this I pray you for the sake of God’s truth, and do not forsake them, namely, your men, before they are forsaken by the Lord; but always seek to build up one another, that the churches may be supplied, and the flock fed; that Jerusalem may have watchmen upon her walls who do not sleep or hold their peace day and night, but remember the Lord and their flock, and say: For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Is. 62:6,2.

Thus, my dear brethren, do the best with the poor sheep, stand by them faithfully, and do not forsake them in this great need, but exhort and comfort them with these words: how our fathers were tried in many ways, and became the friends of God, since they had to overcome through much affliction. Judith 8:25; Deut. 8. Likewise, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, and all that loved God, remained steadfast, as the angel said to Tobit: “Because thou didst please God, it was not possible that thou shouldest remain without temptation.” Tobit 12[314]; Prov. 3:12. And if you fall into affliction for their sakes, think of what the apostle writes: Therefore, I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain salvation--even as has now fallen to me unworthy as I am. For if it had not been for the church, I think I would have remained in the country of Cleves; but I can with David say to the Lord: My times are in thy hand. Ps. 31:15. And it was his will to bring my time to an end, as the facts show. But the apostle says: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church. Col. 1:24; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:23. And if you suffer for the church, you have acted according to the love of Christ, given your life for the brethren and for the sheep. John 10:11; 1 John 3:16. Thus, my dear brethren, watch, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and let all your things be done with charity.

[314] See German version, v. 12

Finally, I will address myself briefly to my dear sisters, namely, to your wives, to exhort and entreat them to be patient with their husbands, and not to importune them, in order to get them out of the country. But consider the great distress, and have pity and compassion with the people, and think, that we must help bear that with which the Lord tries our husbands, and by faith possess our souls in patience. Luke 21:19; Heb. 10:36. As when God tried Abraham, that he should offer up his son, Sarah had to help bear it, for she would have had to miss her only son, if the Lord had not given him back to Abraham. Yet we can not see that Sarah resisted Abraham; she obeyed Abraham as her lord, and suffered him to live by his faith in all in which the Lord tried him, and admonished him herself, that he should cast out the bondwoman and her son. Gen. 21:10. Thus also you, my dear sisters, obey your husbands, and let them live by their faith in all in which they are tried by the Lord. Genesis 3:16; Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18. And do not discourage them, but rather refresh their mind when you see that they are burdened through the trouble which they have with the people, and remember that you are Sarah’s daughters, as long as ye do well, and are not “afraid with any amazement.” 1 Pet. 3:6. Hence, dear sisters, be of good cheer, and trust your God; he will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Pet. 2:9. For God knows our strength, that it is nothing, hence he cares for us, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Ps. 37:25; Josh. 1:5; Hebrews 13:5,6: Ps. 118:6. But we must slay and overcome them in the name of the Lord, for they are but dust and ashes, and shall perish as grass, yea, the moth shall eat them like wool, as Isaiah says; and he further says: I am he that comforteth you; who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass? Is. 40:6; 1 Pet. 1:24; Is. 51:8,12. For with them there is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord himself, who will help us, and fight our battles. 2 Chron. 32:8; Jer. 17:5; Wisdom 4:28. Although they are now like mad men, who spare none, but spoil and destroy those that fear the Lord, and exalt themselves very greatly, so that almost every one is afraid of and trembles before them, yet the Lord shall humble and destroy them when their spoiling and destroying shall have an end. 2 Esd. 16:71; Is. 14:14. But now, dear sisters, we must be tried as gold in the fire, that our trial may work patience, and that patience may have her perfect work. Zech. 13:9; Wis. 3:6. For when we are patient in our tribulation, we overcome and do not get weary or faint; yea, though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2 Cor. 4:16. And we choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; and esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, having respect unto the recompense of the reward. Heb. 11:25,26.

See, dear sisters, take courage, and go forth with the widow Judith against the proud Holofernes, who had been sent forth by King Nabuchodonosor, to bring every country under his power. And he pretended that he was God; yet his servant, Holofernes, was slain by Judith. Judith 2:5; 13:8. Thus also has now the son of perdition, who is called God upon earth, sent forth a proud messenger, and thinks thereby to bring everything under his power. But, as I hear, he has been vanquished at Kortrijck, by a poor, simple widow, even as Christ vanquished the scribes and Pilate. Thus you must also go forth dear sisters, to overcome him by faith. And take an example also from the woman Jael, who slew Sisera, the adversary and enemy of the house of Israel. She took a hammer, and drove a nail through his head, so that he lay there dead. Judges 4:21. Thus must you also, my dear sisters, go forth by faith against the enemy and adversary of the house of Israel, who through his children and servants makes so much clamor and ado, namely, the devil or Satan, and must with the hammer of the divine word drive the nail, Christ Jesus, through his head, and say with the apostle: “Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:57. And he also says: “Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” 2 Cor. 2:14.

Thus, my dear sisters, be always valiant, and patient withal, and exhort your husbands to stay with the flock; and know that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, Eph. 6:8.

Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58.

Herewith I will commend you, my dear and much beloved brethren and sisters, to the great Almighty God, who alone is wise, and pray him to put into your heart to do that which is acceptable before him. And I pray you to receive my letter which has been written out of love, in good part; and if there are any views in it that are not like your own suffer them in love, for we stand, I hope, in one faith. For I am not conscious of any change in me; what I unworthy one, have taught the church and the people, in that I still stand unchanged, the Lord be praised for his grace, who has for about eighteen years kept me therein. Greet all brethren and sisters that live among you beloved very much in my name. Herewith I will bid you adieu; adieu, my dear brethren with your wives, till we see one another in eternal joy; the Lord grant you his grace, that we may find one another there. Written the 31st of May and the 1st of June, by me, JACOB DE ROORE, in my imprisonment.

Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as to a faithful Creator. 1 Pet. 4:19.

ADRIAEN OL, A. D. 1569.

About the year 1569 there was imprisoned at Armentiers, in Flanders for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, a brother by the name of Adriaen, Ol, who, as he could by no temptation or threat, inflicted upon him by the papists, be caused to apostatize, but remained faithful to his God, was condemned by those bloodthirsty men. And thus he was not put to death at said place, for the testimony of Jesus, having offered up his corruptible body in great steadfastness for a sweet smelling savor unto God.

To this Adriaen Ol, Jacob the Chandler wrote his nineteenth letter, for consolation in his imprisonment.

ABRAHAM PICOLET, HENDERICK VAN ETTEN, AND MAEYKEN VAN DER GOES, A. D. 1569.

At Antwerp there was one Abraham Picolet, who was very intimately acquainted with Henderick van Etten, born at Breda, and a certain Herman N. Now it happened that as said Henderick intended to go home, he requested his companion, that they would yet once before his departure enjoy and rejoice themselves together (walking) by singing and speaking of the word of the Lord, as a leave-taking from the good fellowship which they had had together in the Lord. But as there was a great persecution at that time under the government of the Duke of Alva, these two young men, while walking in a forest in the vicinity of Wilrijck, near Antwerp, were apprehended by the Bailiff of Borgerhout, who searched them, and finding in their possession several books, as, a New Testament and others, he strictly examined them, and asked them where they had last been to confession and to the sacrament. Thereupon Abraham answered, that it had been in Italy. He further asked, how long ago it had been, whereupon he replied: “Four years.” Learning these and other things from them, he on the second day of Whitsuntide brought them prisoners to Antwerp. But as the aforesaid Herman was not firmly built upon the corner-stone Christ, his building did not stand, for his sandy foundation could not endure these storms. When examined, he confessed that he had been to confession and to the sacrament last Easter, though this was not true. And in order to confirm this, the parish priest or pastor of St. George’s church testified to it, and by this means he was released from prison. But the other two, adhering to their faith, had many conflicts and disputations during their long imprisonment, with the blind sophists, who went to great pains and labor to draw them from the truth. But as they fled for refuge to the captain of the faith they were not forsaken, but their assurance waxed stronger and stronger, so that they constantly wished for the day of their deliverance. Rom. 7:24. They were also very diligent, constantly to edify their neighbors by writing an exhortation, so that by their letters and steadfastness in the faith they gained some yet in their bonds. Phil. 10. After they had lain in confinement for a while, the tyrants, seeing that there was no hope of moving them from the truth, proceeded further to deprive them of their lives, and as the Bailiff held his court near the Kroonenburgh gate, he had them brought there twice before his judges, but this leading to no result, they were put the third time into a wagon and thus again placed before the judges. But as they were of good cheer and strong in the faith, Abraham, as he stepped to the wagon said: “Let no one among you,” says Peter, “suffer as a thief or robber, or as one that seeks other men’s property; but if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1 Pet. 4:15,16.

Henderick spoke very little, yet nothing but boldness could be seen in him. As they stood before the judges, their sentence was read to them, namely, that they should be burned alive, When the reading of the sentence was finished, Abraham said that he thanked the lords for having been troubled with him, and that he prayed God to enlighten them. They were then put back into the wagon, and brought to the prison, where some more godfearing persons were confined, of whom the Margrave caused a woman to be sentenced to the same death, namely, Maeyken van der Goes, who valiantly followed her husband, Jasper the Taschrinckmaecker, who had been offered up before. Thus the tyrants satisfied their desire on these three lambs for the slaughter, and had them burned alive the following day, after they had fastened their tongues out of their mouths with screw-plates to prevent them from speaking. But in all this they valiantly overcame through Christ, who was their strength; and went boldly onward with Joshua and Caleb, to possess the land of promise, to the comfort and strength of many witnesses who beheld it. After they were burned, the bodies of the two men were given as food to the birds (Ps. 79:2) on the way from Wilrijck, because they had been apprehended under that seignioralty.

These two valiant heroes and champions, though they had not yet received water baptism upon confession of their faith, showed that they had nevertheless been baptized by Christ with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

They wrote many letters full of comfort and earnest exhortations, especially Henderick, who, having formerly been a soldier, exhorted the brethren much to fight manfully in the spiritual war, to keep good watch, and to persevere unto the end, in order to receive from the spiritual captain Jesus Christ, as wages and reward, the crown of eternal life. But all these letters have remained undiscovered, on account of the severe persecution; only one by Abraham Picolet has fallen into our hands, which we have added here for the satisfaction of the sincere reader.

A LETTER BY ABRAHAM PICOLET, WRITTEN TO HIS SISTERS.

Love God above all, attend to the word of the Lord, and have your delight therein. Matt. 22:37; Ps. 1:2.

The abundant great grace and eternal peace of God our heavenly Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort may he grant you Christian wisdom, unchanging faith, a steadfast mind, and a true understanding of the divine word in truth; this I wish you, my beloved sisters, with all my heart. Amen. Rom. 1:7; 2 Cor. 1:3; Matt. 24:13.

Know, my sisters, that I, Abraham your brother, imprisoned for the word of God, let your love know, that I receive such strength and courage from the Lord, that I hope not to depart from him; and since he does not forsake me, I trust by the help of the Lord, to confess his divine word before the blind men as long as there is breath in me, for he helps us remarkably, so that I see and feel it, thanks to him for the grace which he shows me, poor sinner, for which I can never sufficiently praise him. Acts 12:3; Rev. 1:9; Heb. 10:38; 13:5; Matthew 10:31; 2 Cor. 2:14; Ps. 37:39. After all proper and friendly greetings, know, my sisters, that it rejoiced me very often, to have heard from you, that you also trusted to follow the Lord, to adhere to the eternal truth all the days of your life, and to serve and fear Christ; for he is the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6. He that obeys him shall inherit eternal joy, since he promises eternal joy to them that love him and keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous, and his promises are true. 1 John 5:3. Hence, my beloved sisters, since you know his will, and the great grace which he has given your love, take heed that you may keep his commandments according to your weak ability; for he does not require more than that you do what you can. O dear lambs, believe the Gospel, and walk the narrow way, which is but a foot wide, and which leads to eternal life; for many shall seek for it, and shall not be able to get there. Luke 13:24. For not all that cry, Lord, Lord, shall enter in; but they that do the will of the Father which is in heaven. Matt. 7:21. My beloved sisters, strive for the strait gate, namely, eternal life. Since you hear the voice of the Lord (John 10:27), see that you obey his words, and put off all concerning the former conversation, namely, the old Adam (Eph. 4:22), that is, the works of the curse, all uncleanness, evil desires, pride, presumptuous conceitedness, lying, cheating, strutting and boasting, evil speaking, guile, hatred, envy, and the like. For, dear lambs, this is idolatry, and upon such come the wrath and anger of God, and they shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, nor inherit the same, but everlasting destruction and eternal damnation are their part (if they do not become converted), in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death; where there will be only weeping and gnashing of teeth, and where their worm shall not die, but they shall be tormented forever and ever. Eph. 5:6; 2 Thess. 1:8,9; Rev. 21:8; Mark 9:46.

O my dear lambs and sisters, depart therefore from evil, for God shall hold judgment without mercy upon all unbelieving and disobedient men who have not obeyed the word of the Lord, but rejected and contemned it, yea, have persecuted and killed them that would fear the Lord. For, my beloved, God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, nor Sodom and Gomorrah, but turning them into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that commit ungodliness. 2 Pet. 2:4–6.

Therefore, my beloved sisters, let us not be weary in well doing, though we must suffer a little for the name of the Lord. Blessed are ye, and rejoice, says Christ, if you suffer for righteousness’ sake: for great is your reward in heaven. Matt. 5:10,12. For, my beloved sisters, thus did they to the prophets that were before us. Suffering and affliction in the flesh are promised to all the godfearing, as the apostle Paul says: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12.

Mark, my beloved, how Christ was treated, who never had sinned, neither was guile found in his mouth; how he suffered, and all this for our sakes, who was the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. 1 Peter 2:22; Rev. 19:16. O dear sisters, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, who, when he was smitten, did not threaten, but committed vengeance to God, who judgeth righteously. Heb. 12:3; John 18:22; 1 Peter 2:23. And he that was rich, for our sakes became poor; yea, he left his divine habitation, took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, and was more like a worm, than like a man. 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philip. 2:7,8; Ps. 22:6. Therefore, God hath given him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of them that are in heaven and on earth. Philip. 2:9,10. The apostle Peter says: “Beloved brethren, forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us, arm yourselves with the same mind; for hereunto we are called, that we should follow his steps.” 1 Peter 4:1; 2:21. As also Christ says: If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Matt. 10:25; John 15:20. Mark, my dear sisters, whether more comes upon us, than has been promised us. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, says Christ. Matt. 10:22; John 15:21. And further: The time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. John 16:2,3. The Lord also says: But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. v. 4. See, my dear sisters, thus nothing comes upon us, than what has been promised us, and what Christ himself had. Hence we must put off all that is a hindrance to the salvation of our souls, namely, all the lusts of the flesh, all the works of darkness (1 John 2:16; Rom. 13:12; Col. 3:8), and follow the crucified Jesus Christ, our Savior, and obey him; for he that saith that he knoweth God, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; and he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as Christ walked. 1 John 2:4,6. Mark, my sisters, fear the Lord, take courage in the word of the Lord, search diligently the Scriptures, and entreat God the Lord, yea, importune him day and night with prayer and supplication, and he will grant you to understand and to do what is necessary for your salvation. As Christ said, that his Spirit shall teach us, and we shall be taught of the Lord; for of ourselves we have nothing but all manner of weakness.

Thus, my sisters, pray the Lord, who says: Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; seek, and ye shall find; seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all that you need shall be added unto you. Matt. 7:7; 6:33. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near; the Lord is so merciful toward them who seek to fear him (Is. 55:6; Jonah 4:2), my sisters, as he says himself: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30); “and his commandments are not grievous.”

See, my beloved, how the Lord calls us to repentance, hence follow him; for if one does what he can, the Lord is satisfied. He can well preserve him that trusts in him. Repent therefore of your sins which you committed in your ignorance, before you knew the Lord (1 Tim. 1:13; 1 Peter 1:14); mourn and weep to the Lord, and he will have compassion on you. For the time past of your life may suffice you to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when you knew not God, and were very far from him, when you walked in your lusts, in lasciviousness, in revelings, banquetings, in strutting and boasting. 1 Peter 4:3. Therefore, my sisters, since the Lord has revealed his truth to you, see now that you serve him faithfully, and fear not men, who kill the body; for after that they have no more power, and all the evil which they can do us is that they can help us into rest through the great grace of the Lord. Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4. Confess Christ before men, and he will confess you before his Father in heaven, and say: “Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 10:32; 25:34. Hence be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, which is created after God. Put away lies, and speak the truth. Be followers of God, as his chosen children, and walk in love, in quietness, in kindliness, in gentleness. Eph. 5:1,2. Flee youthful lusts, and follow righteousness, love and peace, with all them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart; for the servants of the Lord must not be contentious or quarrelsome but gentle unto all men. 2 Tim. 2:22,24.

Adorn yourselves then, my sisters, with a chaste conversation. 1 Peter 3:2,3. Be gentle unto all men. Be subject to your Lord, for he shall most gloriously reward you. Choose rather to suffer a little affliction with God’s children, than to enjoy a little of the pleasures of this world for a season; for the end of these is eternal perdition. Heb. 11:25. Let us then help bear the reproach of the Lord; it will through his great grace be most gloriously rewarded to us, when he will say: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Heb. 13:13; Matt. 25:21.

Mark, my dear sisters, how gloriously it shall then be rewarded to us. Hence make great haste to fear the Lord; for we live to-day, but do not know whether we shall live to-morrow. Be therefore watchful to fear the Lord; take courage; lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees; and take diligent heed, for we know not when the Lord will come. Heb. 12:12; Matt. 24:42. The day of the Lord draws nigh; it comes as a thief in the night, when it is not expected. 1 Thess. 5:2. Look therefore not to men, for there are few that fear the Lord. Think how many there were when the whole world perished, and yet there were but eight who feared the Lord. Also, how many were saved when Sodom and Gomorrah perished. O think how few entered into the promised land, only Joshua and Caleb; the rest all perished because of their wickedness (even as it still goes with many on account of their wickedness), and because they would not believe God’s words, but resisted, vexed and persecuted the righteous; and if these will also not repent, they shall all likewise perish, for all those are for an example to us. Luke 13:3.

Therefore, my dear sisters, take heed that it come not also thus upon us; for men are punished for sin, as the prophet says: “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” Is. 59:2. Behold, thus men are condemned for their wickedness and unbelief. Mark 16:16.

O my dear sisters, it is true there does some suffering come upon us for the name of the Lord; but as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Jesus Christ, and this little suffering is not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 2 Cor. 1:5; Rom. 8:18. O dear friends, how delightful it will be there where the mountains drop with sweet wine, and are covered with lilies and roses; with all this joy the Lord will fill his children. 2 Esd. 2:19. Hence let us fear and love the Lord without wearying; for he that loves God will do good and hate evil. Ps. 34:14.

O dear lambs, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him and keep his commandments. 1 Cor. 2:9; 1 John 5:3. O consider what great joy there will then be for them that have loved God and confessed him in the world. 2 Esd. 2:47. O that this joy were rightly considered; I think we would use more diligence to fear the Lord, and not be afraid of men, that kill the body. O how many there would be who would follow the Lord’s steps; for he is not willing that any should perish, but that they should repent, and that he might save them. 2 Peter 3:9. But it is, my dear sisters, as the prophet says: With seeing eyes they see not, with hearing ears they hear not, nor do they understand, for their hearts are hardened, their ears they stop, and their eyes they cover; lest they should see, or hear, or understand with their heart. Is. 6:9,10; Matt. 13:14,15; Acts 7:57.

O mark, my dear lambs, whether it is not so also now; they love and prefer much rather fighting, strutting, boasting, banqueting, drinking, and to commit all kinds of abominations, than to repent, and that the Lord might save them. These are cursed children, says the apostle; they forsake the right way, and what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves; they deceive and are deceived. 2 Peter 2:14,15; Jude 10; 2 Tim. 3:13.

O dear lambs, turn from all the lusts of the world, for their damnation slumbereth not. 2 Peter 2:3. Take heed, now that the Lord has made known his truth to you, that you obey him, and walk as obedient children of light, in love and peace. Eph. 1:13; 5:8. Love one another, and always admonish one another with the word of the Lord. What is there that surpasses love? (1 Cor. 13) what greater joy can men have, than to love one another. Always forbear one another, and accept everything in good part, and the Lord will also love you. Eph. 4:2. Be kind to one another. Give diligence to fear the Lord, and to search his divine word. Importune him with supplication and prayer, and fear not men, who to-day are lords, and to-morrow are eaten by worms. The Lord will not forsake you, as you can well see in my case, and also in the case of all those that have feared him with all their heart. The Lord preserves his own, even as he says: Can a woman forget her child? though she forget it, yet will he not forget us. Is. 49:15. Nay, who can pluck these out of his hand whom his Father has given him. John 10:28,29.

O dear sisters, adorn yourselves, and put on the armor. Eph. 6:11. Gird to your side the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; be well shod, and have on the armor of righteousness; and put on your head the helmet of salvation, that you may be able to resist the subtle assaults of the devil, since he walketh about day and night, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8. Hence be followers of God; the Lord will preserve you.

And know, my sisters, that the sixth day of this month, in the afternoon, I was brought before N. N. (who I heard, certainly came in the name of the procurator general, or of his subordinates), and before the jailer and another man, where they were drinking wine at the table. As I came before them the jailer in the presence of them all, said to me: “Abraham, you must go before the court on Tuesday.” His wife, who was also present with them that served at the table, said: “They have three weeks respite.” The jailer said: “Because the Duke of Alva is coming here, they must go through.” He did most of the speaking. I said that I was very well satisfied with it. He asked me whether I was well satisfied. I replied: “Yes, if it is the Lord’s will, I am quite well satisfied.” They asked me, whether I made so little of that at which Christ so greatly trembled, and said: “Father, if it be possible, take away this cup from me.” Mark 14:33,36. They further asked me, whether I did not wish that I were released, and if the doors were open, whether I would not go out. I said, “Yes,” if they opened the doors I would go out; but as this was not the case now, that I thanked the Lord for all that he sends upon me. I also said that he, or they, had no power to release me without the consent of the Duke of Alva, or the like. They asked me whether I did not wish to break out. I replied that if I knew I should bring him into trouble I would have no desire to be out, or to break out. They said that it would cost him his neck. I said that if this was the case I did not wish to be out. In the further progress of our conversation they asked whether they should not be saved, or something similar. I said: “The apostle John says: He that saith, I know God, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.” 1 John 2:4. I could not properly finish what I wanted to say, for they so interrupted me, that I do not know myself what answer they gave me. I also said that the apostle says that whoremongers, drunkards, murderers, liars, proud, revilers, gluttons, and the like men, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, and that they have no God. 1 Cor. 6:9,10. They again interrupted me, for the Lord gave me a mouth to say so much, that they could not well bear it. They said that what I said was true enough, if men died therein; but if they had time yet to call upon the Lord for forgiveness, then, they thought they should yet be saved. I replied that it was too dangerous a thing to depend upon such a calling; for frequently such entreaters for forgiveness, when they recover, go into their old ways; and I opined that they were probably such too. Then they again interrupted me, and I admonished them, that they should repent and feel sorry for their sins before they felt the day of their death approaching. They asked whether we were all saved. I replied, that the Lord promises salvation to them that do his will, and do not deny him, though they have to suffer much here for his name. Matt. 7:21. Of such the apostle says: By grace are ye saved. Eph. 2:8. For though we do all that we can, we are still unprofitable servants, and must rely upon the grace of God. Luke 17:10; Acts 15:11.

Here I should have liked to quote some more scriptures, but they interrupted me too much. I said that their hope was vain, or something similar, and this because of their sins, as the prophet says: “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” Then they became angry, especially the jailer, and I thought they ought not to get angry. I further said that it now is as the prophet says: “He that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey, and, as Christ says, is hated by all men. Is. 59:15; Matt. 10:22. They all interrupted me again, and finally said that I should be led away. And there sat a man there, who said to the jailer, that he would first give me a drink. Then we had many words again, but I could never quite properly finish what I wanted to say, though I would have liked so much to finish it, on account of an honest man that was there, who reproved the jailer himself, because he became so angry. Then the jailer brought me a glass of wine, and I thanked him, saying: “To your health!” He asked me why I did not say: “God bless you.” I replied: “We ought not to take the name of the Lord in vain, as the drunkards and fornicators do.” This made them so angry that they had me led away without giving me the drink. God be thanked and praised for his great grace that he gives his own all that is necessary to their salvation. I am told, my sisters, that they only did this to see whether I would not depart from the Lord; yet I know that they did not once urge me to forsake my faith.

Excuse this simple letter. I greatly long for the day of our deliverance; I was so rejoiced the night that I heard that we were so near our deliverance, that for joy, the tears streamed from my eyes. The Lord be praised for his great grace. We trust to await our time with patience. They perhaps thought to frighten me by it; but I rejoice in it, God be praised, who gives me such strength. O my sisters, should one not rejoice at the prospect of so soon being delivered from all sorrow through the grace of the Lord? O that we were fit for it, what a great joy this would be for me! Yet I expect it through the Lord’s great grace, though I am not worthy of it. O that matters were so far, that the fiery furnace were prepared. O that it were so far, that I were standing in the strait gate, where flesh and blood must be left behind; then it should soon be over.

O my dear sisters, I am of such good cheer, and I receive such strength from the Lord, that I can not express it, praise be to him forever for his great grace which he shows me. I find it to be true: he that trusts in the Lord alone has in his sufferings such joy of heart, that no one can know it, save he that experiences it.

Farewell; I commend you to God in grace. Pray God, the Lord for me; I will do the same for you.

Written by me your weak brother,

ABRAHAM PICOLET.

TIJS JEURIAENSS AND JAN CLAESS, A. D. 1569.

In this dark bloody reign of antichrist two other pious brethren fell into the hands of the tyrants, one of whom was a minister of the word, named Tijs Jeuriaenss, residing in North Holland, at Karop in Waterland. The name of the other was Jan Claess, born near Wesop, and residing in the same town; he was still a single man, about twenty-five years of age. And as said Tijs Jeuriaenss had gone to Muyen near Amsterdam, to serve the church of God in the word, while said Jan Claess in company with some others went to Muyen to hear the exhortation. Thus he was apprehended with Tijs Jeuriaenss, and brought to the castle of Muyen, where they remained in imprisonment for about half a year, and were then sent to the Hague, where they were also kept confined for about half a year, and were then sent back to Muyen, at which place after about three months both were sentenced to be strangled and burnt at the stake. This was so done, and they were burnt black in their faces with reed, and were each put at a stake outside of the dyke, in the reed, at Muyen, for food to the birds. And as these pious witnesses of God suffered all this, not on account of having committed any crime (upon which alone the secular power has a right to visit punishment), but only for the truth of the word of God, and a good conscience, they are under the blessed promise of God, who has said: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:10. And as they have here for Christ’s sake delivered up their bodies unto death, for a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God, in confirmation of the truth, so they shall receive these their mortal and corruptible bodies again in the resurrection of the just, in eternal, glorious immortality, and shall live forever with Christ, whom they confessed here.

The particulars of this offering we have received from the lips of Symon Fijts, teacher of the church of God in Tessel, who was present in a chamber at their apprehension, and visited them in prison, and with his own eyes witnessed their steadfast departure from this world.

This Tijs Jeuriaenss was a very zealous follower of Christ, who in his long imprisonment also wrote many excellent letters for the consolation of the godfearing, some of which have long before this been published in a separate book; treating, among other things: of the bringing in and incarnation of Jesus Christ, and, again, of his departure; and also of the free will of man. Of these letters we, in order to avoid prolixity, present two to the reader; they are as follows:

The manifold grace of our God, and the abounding, deep love of his Son Jesus Christ, with the unsearchable, rich mercy of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son and delivered us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father, and the communion, love, joy, comfort and mighty power of his Holy Spirit, we wish to all dear brethren and sisters, and all our fellow-believers; also much wisdom, patience, a valiant faith, immovable hope, the breast-plate, helmet and armor of our God, certain victory, the triumphant, two-edged sword of the Spirit, and the power of God through the blood of the Lamb. To this high God and Lord, and his blessed Son be power, strength, might, praise, honor, and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

I desire out of a pure heart, with the prophet Daniel, imprisoned in Babylon, from pure love, to open the windows of my heart toward the pleasant city of my God, Jerusalem, now to look lovingly upon her with a glad heart, and to show her a joyful face out of pure love; and thus to turn the eyes of pleasant desire to her, and to show her out of pure love a pleasant, glad and joyful countenance, with the sound of rejoicing; for Jerusalem signifies, vision of peace. This adorned and pleasant city of Jerusalem was shown by the angel of God to the apostle John. Rev. 21:10. He saw it in the Spirit and in a vision, with a joyful heart, and confessed that Jerusalem is a vision of peace, and therefore it cannot be beheld but through the vision of peace. John saw her in a vision, and discerned her by the Spirit of truth; hence no one can now see her but by the vision of the Spirit, and through the Spirit of truth. This city has the glory of God; her streets are like unto gold, yea, of pure gold. Verse 21. Here is the river of life, clear as crystal. 22:1. In short, here is the pleasant tree, which yields her fruit every month; the leaves of it are for healing, for they are fruits of life. This city has high walls, twelve foundations, and twelve gates. 21:12,19. She has also twelve watchmen, with twelve trumpets, the pleasant sound and glorious voice of which rejoice my soul. This is that joyful, pleasant and sweet voice which delighted John; for it is like the voice of harpers playing on their harps. 14:2. The sound and voice of all kinds of music in Babylon caused the Babylonians to kneel down and worship the high image (Dan. 3:7); but this sound causes my soul to rejoice with the joy of the Holy Ghost. This city is far more glorious than all other cities, for her builder and maker is God. Heb. 11:10. This city comes down from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God; for God will dwell with them, and he shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rev. 21:2,3,4. Behold, here is the spiritual Solomon of the spiritual tabernacle or temple. Here is the spiritual sea which is carried by twelve oxen. 1 Kings 7:23. In short, here every thing is spiritual; according to the request of Peter, lively stones in this living or spiritual temple or house. 1 Pet. 2:5. Here the golden vessels filled with incense are brought to the altar of the Lord. These golden vessels filled with incense are poured out before the Lord, for they are the prayers of the saints. Rev. 5:8. Thus everything is renewed in spirit and in truth. For here is the spiritual paradise planted or founded by God himself. Here men eat of the tree of life. Here is the spiritual Adam, of which the literal was a figure, after whose image all Christians strive, till they are like unto him in weakness, for they must be conformed to the image of his Son. Romans 5:14; 8:29. Here has also the spiritual Eve and bride of this spiritual husband come forth, through the spiritual sleep, and is thus flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones. Gen. 2:23; Eph. 5:30. There is also here, in spirit and in truth, the spiritual ark seen by John. Rev. 11:19. Here we enter in a spiritual manner into the ark of God, through the baptism of Jesus Christ, inwardly prompted to it by fire and the Holy Ghost, and outwardly all the evil carnal lusts washed with water; yea, baptized into his death. Rom. 6:3. For as by the flood all flesh perished, so must now also perish, through baptism, all lust of the flesh, and die without the ark, which is represented by the former, 1 Peter 3:20,21. Here is the spiritual dove, which brought the spiritual olive branch into the ark of the Lord; for as the dove brought an olive branch in her mouth into Noah’s ark, to show that the flood was abating, so the Holy Ghost came down in the form of a dove upon Christ, to show that he was the Son of God, as had been said to John the Baptist: “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, he it is.” John 1:33. In the second place, to show that the flood or punishment had departed, and joy and glad tidings were come.

Behold, this is the spiritual dove, as Esdras says: Of all the fowls thou hast chosen thee one dove. 2 Esd. 5:26. And Christ Jesus says to his disciples: Be harmless as doves. Matt. 10:16. These doves bear the pleasant olive branch, which is Christ, to all those that with Noah desire and apprehend it by faith. I desire once more, with the eyes of love, and with the vision of peace, to turn my heart and mind with John to the glorious woman (Rev. 12:1) since the Lord has shown her to me through faith and the vision of his word; for her beauty has drawn me, her loveliness inflames me, I am inclined to her, she has with her sweet singing conquered my heart, she has captivated me with her lovely eyes, she has bound me with heavenly bonds, for her bond is the girdle of truth, the bond of peace and love. Ephesians 6:14; 4:3; Col. 3:14.

I have on account of her forgotten my father’s house. How charming and lovely is this woman, how glorious is her raiment! This woman has a crown of twelve stars upon her head; she is also clothed with the sun, and the moon is under her feet, and two wings also are given her to escape from the dragon. This woman is spiritual, and hence she must be viewed with spiritual eyes; all the proud and vain-glorious cannot behold her beauty; she is clothed with the sun, with the clear sun of understanding and of truth, says the Scripture.

I rejoice with John, for he says: “Let us be glad and rejoice, [and give honor to him:] for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” Revelation 19:7,8.

Whosoever now hears this woman falls in love with her, and he who lovingly turns his eyes and face to her, and beholds her beauty, is captivated by her loveliness, for she is the Queen of the Son of the Most High God. This woman pours out the unadulterated sweet wine which comes from the true vine. Over this woman or city of Jerusalem I will rejoice with David and say: “I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Ps. 84:10. O Jerusalem, thou city of God, glorious things are spoken of thee; for the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Ps. 87:3,2. O Jerusalem, thou most beautiful, most pleasant, and most glorious city, above all royal cities! O Jerusalem, thou pleasant city and vision of peace, over thee is the King of Peace, the Mighty God, and Lord is his name. Is. 9:6. behold these are the pleasant looks which mine eyes cast upon thee; these are the windows of joy through which I behold thee. Once more I must through the window of the divine truth view thy glory; mine eyes and face are thus fixed upon thee, that the tears run down my cheeks. I cannot turn mine eyes and face from thee; though the winds blow into my face, that the tears flow from mine eyes, I will dry them with the beautiful, lovely, pure, and white handkerchief with which my most beloved has given me to dry them, that I may behold her so much the more clearly. Behold, thus I will now with the beloved prophet David turn my heart’s delight to thee, and thus give thee the desire of my heart, and say: “Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.” Ps. 122:3–8. Peace be with you all. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. Concerning this house read Isaiah 2; Micah 4.

We poor prisoners in the Lord, and bound of Jesus Christ, for the testimony of our God, and for the incontrovertible truth of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; also severed and banished for still holding fast to the truth and to this testimony; wish salvation, joy, gladness, love, comfort, strength, and the fellowship, operation and power of the Holy Ghost to all our dear brethren and sisters, that are rejected and oppressed by the proud, for the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and the fear of God, for a proof of their severe blindness and pride, and for a proof of patience and pure fear of God in all of you; in short, for a proof, that through the power of our God you are kept in the faith, and also for a confirmation of his word, that the gates and fiends of hell cannot cast you down. May the strong God with his mighty power and word henceforth keep us all through the abundant riches of his grace; to him be for it praise, honor, glory, power, might, and strength in glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Out of pure, brotherly, unfeigned love, and from the inmost of our soul and the depth of our heart, with a pure conscience toward all banished, oppressed, burdened, and distressed souls, I write this simple and plain letter to you, out of a pure heart, as a drop of morning dew, dropping down for the refreshing, cooling and comforting of your hearts; hence I beseech you with all my strength, yea, from the inmost depth of my heart, and by the cross and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also by his bitter death and his precious blood shed for us all, discern and comprehend it with pure, clear eyes, ears and hearts. O brethren and sisters, behold and consider diligently from what the mighty power, Spirit and word of the Lord have delivered you. The hand of the Lord has powerfully delivered you, that you might not be punished with the severe darkness and blindness into which many are fallen. God has also well preserved you from all the plagues and sorceries of Egypt, while so many now lose their birthright.

O brethren and sisters, take heed to it. Because you firmly and confidently hope in the living God; therefore the consuming, and devouring, severe fire (which devours all around it) has not been able to devour or consume you, though all heat, cunning, and craftiness were used in Babylon’s fiery furnace; yea, my friends, though the lions of Babylon gnashed their teeth, you have, like Daniel, not been harmed by them, God be forever praised for it. Hence, my most beloved brethren and sisters, whom I love with all my heart, from this, and much more, the power of the Lord has preserved you, for through his victory you have triumphed, and shall triumph, till you receive the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Amen. 1 Pet. 1:9.

I beseech you all with an unfeigned faith, open your heart once, and consider and lay to heart in spirit and in truth these words of the prophet: “Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed, saith the Lord.” Ps. 66:5.

In another place he says: I sat not in the assembly of mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. Jer. 15:17.

In the third place, mark with an attentive heart the words of the prophet: I will also leave in the midst of thee (saith the Lord) an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away the judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thy hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee. Zephaniah 3:12–19; Is. 43; 41:14.

The prophet Ezekiel also says: Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, that I should save his life. Ezekiel 13:22; Jer. 23:14.

See, my worthy, chosen brethren and sisters, here you have comfort and joy in these and other, similar passages, in which you can with the afflicted in Israel find joy and gladness; hence these passages belong to you. For it has been done out of the true fear of God, and because we feared in our conscience, we renounced them (God be praised), according to the word of the prophet (Jer. 15:17) and the teaching of the apostle; for I declare before the Lord, and before his angels and hosts, yea, that I am ready with all my heart, and desirous, by the help and grace of the Lord, to testify to this with my flesh, blood and death. This is the solid ground of truth, firm and incontrovertible. I doubt not that they, are wrong, and we, through the grace of God, right. Thus I longingly expect to testify with a joyful mind to their wrong, even unto death, and also to confirm my faith and little gift. May the Lord strengthen me and my fellow-prisoner. But we must first drink the bitter cup with fear and trembling. O that we might taste it! for I have already given myself to him who was first given for me.

Hence, I further pray for the sake of the fellowship and unity of the Spirit, that every one love the brotherhood. 1 Pet. 2:17: O brethren and sisters, take heed thereto with a pure heart and faithful love; for we have all been made to drink into one Spirit, and are baptized into one body. 1 Cor. 12:13. Therefore serve one another diligently in love: cleave to Christ’s body, abide with your members, and neither separate nor divide. Let each esteem other better than themselves, and you will remain together with peace and joy; (Philip. 2:3); the merciful God grant this to you and us all. Amen.

In the third place, I further pray by the power of the Spirit, and by the conqueror Jesus Christ, yea, I beseech you by the love of the Father toward us,--the words are full of joy, spirit and gladness--: As my heavenly Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. John 15:9. O brethren and friends, take heed to it; love must be according to the example of Christ firm and sure, for therein love is revealed, known and shown to us, yea, herein love stands fast; declared by the death, blood and confession of his Son. O friends, my most beloved, this is the true measuring-reed, according to John’s writing. Rev. 11:1. Consider this in the depth of your heart.

In the fourth place, I further beseech your love, consider with an attentive heart, and inwardly and outwardly, with a live, sober mind, prove, measure and correct yourselves with the word of God, and follow and hold fast the same. O hold fast to the word of God, and you will never be deceived.

In the fifth place, I beseech all my brethren and sisters, as one that loves you with all his heart, if you would have your souls saved, receive the warning of the Holy Ghost, that in the latter times many shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. 1 Tim. 4:1.

O brethren and chosen sisters, consider, and learn to know the lying spirits. O diligently try the spirits by faith, and the knowledge of the word of God. 1 John 4:1. Distinguish the good and the evil consciences of men. O discern and learn to know with diligence them whose minds are corrupt, also who have the form of godliness, but deny the power of the Spirit. These and other points despise not; let them never depart from your heart, but hold them fast according to the word of God; try all spirits, and measure them therewith, and you will know what form or appearance they have. O brethren, beware with a pure fear of God, beware every way, that no one set up his reason or conscience as a head, and relapse into his old natural state. But much rather let the heart and conscience grow and increase according to the word of God. Let your understanding be of the unadulterated milk, and of the wine from the pure vine Christ. Refresh your heart with the living waters. Hold fast to the fountain and rock unto death.

Lastly, I beseech your love yet, by the crying of Jesus Christ, by the weeping of the apostle Paul (Philip. 3:18), and by the many tears of the prophet Jeremiah, diligently to attend to and consider, and, with a living and working faith to hold fast to and not depart from the solid ground, and immovable foundation in Sion. 1 Pet. 2:6. My brethren, we longingly expect to have to go hence; help us, therefore, to contend for the faith (Jude 3) and to defend it unto death. We hope by his power and strong grace, help and consolation to go before you, if it is his divine will. We have already given our bodies to him who bought our souls with his precious blood. 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Peter 1:19.

Thus, my dear brethren and sisters, we will herewith bid you adieu, and take leave for this time; if it were the will of the Lord, I would from the heart that it might be our final farewell and adieu till in life eternal--his divine will be done with us.

We greet all brethren and sisters that love us in the faith, especially those that are banished, out of a pure, brotherly, unfeigned, sound love, with the mighty power, the word and peace of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, till in his eternal glory. Amen.

Further, do not forget us poor, miserable, weak fellow-members, and receive our letter in good part, it is written out of love. We would have written more, but it is now not necessary; besides, we may soon be debarred from it, for we are chained together like horses. We expect, as the bailiff says, a letter from the stadtholder as to what he shall then do with us.

The Spirit of peace, love, joy, peace; comfort and grace be upon all the godfearing, especially do we wish much good to the banished, who, for the testimony of the truth, through their faith, have overcome the wicked and still overcome in Christ. The Spirit of peace be with your spirit. Amen.

Written on the 15th day of our imprisonment. I hope that through the grace of God we are bound with a strong chain of love; love abides steadfast unto death. By me,

TIJS JEURIAENSS.

I beseech all my brethren and sisters, and you, as a prisoner in the Lord, by the mercies of God, and by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us. 2 Thessalonians 2:1,2. This is the faithful warning of Paul to his friends.

ANOTHER LETTER OF TIJS JEURIAENSS, WRITTEN IN PRISON TO THE FRIENDS IN EDAM, A. D. 1569.

My dear brethren and sisters, one with us in our most holy Christian faith, I wish you the weapons of light, to fight against the works of darkness; yea, from the depth of my heart and my inmost soul I wish you new tidings, glad news, an evangelical greeting, grace, mercy, peace, long-suffering, love, comfort, wisdom, and steadfastness; yea, from God our heavenly Father, all his heavenly treasures and riches, through Jesus Christ, our Giver and Distributor, our Prophet; great Apostle, and High Priest, our Ground, Foundation and Corner-stone in Sion, our Trumpet, and Horn of salvation in the house of David and camp of Israel, our Way, Door, Truth and Life, our Reconciler, Mediator and Advocate, our Peace, Atonement and Righteousness, our pashcal Dove and pashcal Lamb, our Sun, Light, Morning-Star, our delightful Emmanuel, Peace, Comfort, and Captain of the faith, our Shepherd, David and Solomon according to the spirit, our Comforter and Rejoicer, our Joy, Gladness, Might and Strength, our Fortress, Castle, Wall and Strength, our Hero, Warrior and Conqueror, who led captivity captive, deprived death of its might, power, and strength, that is, him that had the power of death, brought life and immortality to light, spoiled principalities and powers, triumphed over them in himself, broke down the middle wall of partition, blotted out the handwriting and nailed it to the cross, fulfilled the promises, satisfied the law, confirmed the testament with his death, and sealed it with his blood, and renewed all things, and put them under his feet, at the mercy seat upon the ark of God, above the cherubim, in the most holy place, that is, the head of his church forever. Amen. Eph. 4:8; Heb. 2:14; Col. 2:15; Eph. 2:14; Matt. 5:17; Heb. 9:17: Rom. 3:25; Ex. 25:17; Eph. 1:22.

Since you are often in our hearts, dear and in God beloved, sanctified brethren and sisters, we cannot well forbear to visit your love, in spirit, through love, with our unworthy letters. For though according to the flesh, we are not present together, we are nevertheless together in spirit, and we rejoice in our bonds, afflicted in the flesh, but joyful and delighted in spirit, when we consider your love, piety, brotherly love and godliness, the steadfastness of your faith, the assurance, constancy and confidence of your mind, your steadfastness and the obedience of the Gospel, your boldness of Jesus Christ, and the strengthening of our God through the power of his Holy Spirit. Hence the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one, which no one can do except he remain grounded, rooted and fixed in God through Jesus Christ, and God, again must dwell, walk and rest in him through Christ, that is: there must be the word and the wholesome knowledge of God, and an unconquerable love, hope and faith; and this in the power of the Spirit, irrefutable and unconquerable, in the firm foundation stone in Sion, which is to the unbelieving, a hard touch-stone of stumbling and offense. Hence, whosoever shall fall on it shall be broken and crushed; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder, that is, destroy him. 1 John 2:14; Eph. 3:17; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 Pet. 2:6; Matt. 21:44.

Hence our unworthy letter is not especially written to your love, nor to teach or admonish your love. O no, you have the anointing of him that is holy, and hence you are already taught and enlightened in God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost. 1 John 2:27; John 6:45. Besides, you have and know the holy Scriptures which can instruct and exhort you unto godliness. But we unworthy ones pray and wish day and night for the holy God and King of eternity, the Father of light and mercy, to strengthen and confirm through his unfathomable grace, and by his Holy Spirit, us and you in the spirit of our minds, according to the heart, and that Jesus Christ according to the inner man may dwell in our hearts by faith, that we, being rooted and grounded, steadfast and immovable from the hope of the Gospel, may be able to know and comprehend with all the saints of God, and with all Christian believers and chosen children of God, what is the abundance of his power and might, the riches of his glory, and his unfathomable grace, yea, the height, depth, breadth and length, and to know the love of God and Christ, which passes all knowledge, wisdom and understanding, that he would herein and hereby fill you with all the fullness of God. Eph. 4:23; 2:16.

See, my affectionately beloved, sanctified brethren and sisters, who are partakers of the kind and nature of our common, most holy, Christian faith, I say, of the kind and nature of God, through the regeneration of God, the heavenly Father, by his incorruptible seed and word, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in heavenly places, in the illumination and brightness of the heavenly glory, in newness of spirit, in the mind of Jesus Christ, by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ unto obedience in the sanctification of the spirit. 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2. Hence we have all been made to drink into one spirit, and are baptized into one body, and sealed by one Spirit unto the day of our redemption. 2 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:30. Where this thus exists, there is certainly the nature of the Christian faith and the nature of God, without which faith and regeneration cannot be, exist, or be named; but where this is found and thus exists in full power of the spirit, as said, there are without doubt the blessing of God, the dew of the Holy Ghost and of the heavenly benediction, and the rain of righteousness, in all manner of fruitfulness, growth and incense in the knowledge of God and the mind of Jesus Christ. Ah, there is Abraham’s holy seed of peace, the children of the promise, not of the flesh, nor of the law, but of the Spirit, in Isaac sanctified, justified, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in new and heavenly places in Jesus Christ. Rom. 9:8; Eph. 1:3. And therefore they have, and there pertain to them the adoption, the law, the service of God, the glory, the testaments, and the promises that were made to the fathers, which belonged to Israel according to their birthright, that is, according to the flesh, but who on account of their unbelief were rejected, and failed in them. Rom. 9:4. But the spiritual Israel of God, namely, the seed of Abraham, the children of the promise, have obtained it by their faith, and have attained to, and been called and elected thereunto through grace; they have contrary to nature been grafted into the good olive tree, and have through grace become partakers of the root and sap. Rom. 9:8; 11:20–24. And this is now the great mystery of God, and the unsearchable grace of Jesus Christ, the mystery of the Holy Ghost, above the wisdom of the Jews, and the understanding of the Greeks, as Paul says, and signifies to us. Eph. 3:3–5.

Yes, my chosen friends, and sanctified of God, what a great benefit, love and mercy of God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is this, namely, that we who were not a people, are now the people of God; we who had no hope in the covenants of promise are now by faith in Jesus Christ ingrafted and partakers and fellow-heirs of his promises. 1 Pet. 2:10; Eph. 2:12. Behold, thus acts and works the only wise and eternal God, who in, with and by his wisdom measured and fathomed all things, and in the twinkling of an eye looked over and knew them from eternity to eternity; I say, who through the eyes of his wisdom, in the twinkling of an eye, looked over and knew all things in eternity from everlasting to everlasting. O how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? [or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?] For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. Rom. 11:33–36.

This holy, unsearchable and only wise God wrought all things according to his wisdom, purpose, and predetermined counsel, first in figures, promises, types and shadows, unto the bringing in of a better hope, by the which we draw nigh unto God. Heb. 7:19. For the figures, shadows and heavenly types point us to the true substance and perfect truth itself in Christ Jesus, which especially the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us, which also so gloriously speaks of the advent or bringing in of Jesus Christ, and of his departure and perfection, as may most satisfactorily be seen in great power and glory, which is very pleasant and delightful to read, consider and lay to heart. Heb. 1:6; 5:9. Happy he who therein has his joy and delight, who considers it in the depth of his heart, and sincerely treasures it up.

For since God in his wisdom and foresight has wrought and ordered all things to man’s profit and salvation, and in order to signify and show something else, mark well, the priests in the law were made priests without an oath, and this because of weakness and imperfection, and because death did not suffer them to continue, that is, the law made nothing perfect, nor could it; with all its services and sacrifices, bring or give us perfection, salvation, or righteousness; for they could not make or become perfect in conscience, who worshiped; for if there had been a law given which could make perfect, righteousness would be by the law, and thus no better means would have been sought or used; and therefore the law has an end because of imperfection, and terminates in Christ. Heb. 7; Romans 10:4. For the word of the oath which was since the law, makes the Son our high priest perfected for evermore. Heb. 7:28. And he ever liveth to make intercession for our sins. v. 25. For he has neither beginning of days, nor end of life. v. 3. He dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him; for in that he died, he died unto sin once (Rom. 6:9), that is, he became a propitiation and sacrifice for sins, which is perfect, constant and perpetual. 1 John 2:2. For as the priests had to have compassion on them that sinned and erred through ignorance, because they themselves were also compassed with infirmity; therefore our high priest became a poor, passive and mortal man, that he might have compassion on our sins and infirmity, because he became himself like unto us in all things, and was tempted like as we are, yet without sin, as may be seen everywhere in the New Testament. Hebrews 5:2; 4:15.

For since Adam was unclean in his nature, and with his seed and generation lay in sin and death, because of transgression, and the law of God required a pure, undefiled, holy, and blameless sacrifice for sin and transgression, that is, satisfaction for transgression and propitiation for sin, in order to help and save men; therefore the pure, undefiled and immaculate Word of the heavenly Father, out of great love and compassion had to come down here from high heaven, and, according to the promises of the prophets and the word of the angel, be conceived of the Holy Ghost in Mary, and, through the power of the Most High, be born of the holy virgin, and be holy, innocent, undefiled, and separate from sinners, if he according to the law was to be a pure, holy, undefiled, and blameless sacrifice for sin, if the law was to be fulfilled, the sins propitiated, the sacrifice made, and our high priest made perfect as such for evermore by the oath. And he ever lives to make intercession for our sins; for such a high priest became us. Rom. 8:34.

Hence this was the greatest joy on earth that has ever been heard, seen and received: that God came and was seen and manifested in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16. The Lamb of God, which beareth and taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29), came upon earth, in human form and in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3), taught the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15), preached the Gospel of his peace and the word of his reconciliation (Luke 4:18; Ephesians 2:16), and declared life and his grace, the good gospel news, the trumpet sound, to gather Israel to Jerusalem out of every land, to keep the feasts of Easter, Pentecost, and of Tabernacles, one new moon and Sabbath after another (Ex. 12:16; Is. 66:23), as the prophet says: Hearken, thou chosen daughter of Zion, and ye holy inhabitants of Jerusalem, what joyful sound and shouting is in thy streets! O what joyful and good news and glad tidings are in the camp of Israel, to gather the heavenly manna, which lies there, giving delight and sweetness. Ex. 16:16; Wis. 16:21. But there had to be a golden pot in which the holy manna of God was preserved (Ex. 16:33), so there must be a clean flask and cruse, in which the spiritual waters of eternal life must be gathered. And he that eats of this heavenly bread, and drinks of this water of life, shall live forever, and shall neither hunger nor thirst any more; for it shall be in him a well of living water springing up into everlasting life. John 6:51; 4:14.

See now, my dear and in God beloved, sanctified brethren and sisters, partakers of his promise, [fellow] citizens [with the saints], and of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, yea, a habitation of God through the Spirit, a spiritual house and holy temple, and lively stones, a royal generation, and an holy priesthood. Heb. 2:12; Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Pet. 2:5,9. I say, holy inhabitants of Jerusalem, who have a free and open fountain for sin and uncleanness (Zech. 13:1); who completely and entirely place their hope in the grace of God, which is brought to you through the gospel sent from heaven, which things the angels of God desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:13,12. Who ascended up far above all thrones and heavens, and who is set above all power, might and dominion, in this and in the world to come. Eph. 4:10; 1:21. But many neither understand nor regard this life, nor do they heed this great love and grace of God, and therefore they are offended in their heart because of their unbelief, and hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and thus a root of bitterness springs up, by which many are defiled (Heb. 12:15), as has now been seen and found in the case of so many; and they are thus greatly embittered and defiled, that all medicines, yea, the flowing waters that issue from God’s sanctuary, which can sweeten and heal everything, cannot heal or sweeten these pools and marshes, but they are given to salt, as the prophet says. Ezek. 47:1,11. How unwholesome and barren is this water, which cannot be healed or made fruitful by the strength of the salt from the new cruse, through the power of the word of the holy prophet. 2 Kings 2:20–22.

Ah, these bitter waters cannot be made sweet by the pleasant tree (Ex. 15:25); for he that drinks thereof must die, as John says in his Revelation: “There fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third of it, and the night likewise.” Rev. 8:10–12. And he further says that the smoke arose out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 9:2.

Hence, my very dear and in God beloved holy brethren and sisters, let us put on the armor of light, to fight against the works of darkness, that is, to walk in the Spirit, and we shall not fulfill the works of the flesh. Rom. 13:12; Gal. 5:16. With the same meaning also Peter says: “Dearly beloved, we beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Pet. 2:11. Hence we must arm ourselves in weakness with the mind of Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, with the word of truth, with the armor of light, and with the power of God, on the right hand and on the left (2 Cor. 6:6,7), that is, we must yield ourselves unto God, and live in God, as those that are become alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God; then the wicked will not have dominion over us, as Paul teaches. Rom. 6:13,14. And where this thus triumphs, works and prevails in the power of the Spirit, there are not only conflicts, dying unto the sins of the flesh, and unto the old Adam with his lusts and desires, but there is also, through the divine knowledge and the mind of Jesus Christ, together with an invincible, firm faith, a sure and certain mind in the word and truth of the Lord: a conflict against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and wicked spirits; and we also bring all reason, and every high thing and what exalts itself against the truth into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 10:5. And this, as has been said, through a pure, wholesome, sure, and steadfast knowledge of God, and a constant and certain mind, with the invincible shield of faith, with which all the fiery darts of the wicked are quenched. Eph. 6:16. And where this thus takes place and exists, as said above, there is the armor of light, but not of the flesh; there the power and armor of God have been put on; there is the mind of Christ, of the Spirit, but not of the flesh: there they war in, by and with faith, by which everything is conquered and put down in mighty power and in the strength of the Spirit, as has been said, etc.

O my dear friends, regenerated, children of the resurrection and of life, of light and of the day (Luke 20:36; 1 Thess. 5:5), children of God, and brethren and sisters of Jesus Christ, his companions and anointed members of his body, lively stones (1 Pet. 2:5), temples of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19), kings and priests of God, I say, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and fellow heirs of his promise, yea, my sanctified brethren and sisters of our common, most holy Christian faith, also guests, strangers and pilgrims with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in this world (1 Pet. 2:11; Heb. 11:9), O what power, operation, nature and evidence have and pertain to these and like names, yea, what comfort, joy and gladness lie in them, belong in them, and would follow from them, that is, an evidence of obedience (Heb. 11:8), yea, an evidence, that one seeks the future promised land, firmly believes God’s promises, despises the earthly, and loves the heavenly; yea, these names attest and confirm God’s promises, that is, that no one has a right to, can have, bear, keep, and, in the power of the Spirit, maintain and live up these names, except he have with the patriarchs a firm assurance of faith, and judge him faithful who has promised it, and who is also able to keep it. Heb. 11:11. And therefore they all willingly journeyed as pilgrims, and through steadfast faith saw the future things, and held fast to them, and thus evinced their names in power and indeed, for our instruction, comfort, example and imitation.

Herein rejoice now with us, O you holy brethren and sisters in the Holy Spirit of truth, in the invincible, strong knowledge of God, and of the faith which leads to the hope of everlasting life; my most beloved, in the mind of Jesus Christ and nature of God. Yea, my immovable holy brethren and sisters, as I hope forever, brethren according to the Spirit, and not the flesh, according to the Gospel, and not the letter. Yea, I repeat it, my holy brethren and sisters, regenerated from the dead by the resurrection of Jesus Christ into heavenly places, here in the Holy Ghost, and hereafter in perfection. Then you shall rejoice with joy unspeakable; then you shall live eternally and be forever happy; then the fiery lake and the second death shall not be able to terrify you; then shall your body, soul and spirit together be saved and forever blessed; then you shall eternally be filled and anointed with the Holy Ghost; then you shall be clothed in white raiment, and crowned and rewarded with the crown of life, of joy, and of everlasting gladness and pleasure; then you shall enter into eternal joy and rest, and be taken and caught up in the air, to meet the Lord, and ever be with him (1 Thess. 4:17); then you shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51,52) and your body and face be glorified with heavenly glory; there you shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of your Father (Matt. 13:43), then you shall laugh and rejoice (Luke 6:21); then you shall forever behold yourselves as in a mirror, in his face, brightness and glory, and behold him who thus loved you that he gave his only begotten Son, who loves you even as his dear heavenly Father loved and blessed him in eternity. 1 John 3:1; John 3:16.

Yes, then you shall in perfection, with soul, body, and spirit, inwardly and outwardly; burn in the fire of his love, and be forever inflamed in his abounding grace, sit at his table (Luke 12:37), and eat the bread of angels, of life and salvation and drink to the full of the waters of wisdom, life, of eternal salvation, and of everlasting joy; then shall he rejoice in himself with his angels and holy hosts, and be joyful over you with the shouting of his multitude; then shall you receive, inherit and possess the imperishable riches that shall endure forever; then shall you be rich in body, soul and spirit; then shall you sing, leap, and cry: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, hallelujah (Is. 6:3); then shall a thousand years be to you as one day (2 Pet. 3:8); then shall eternity be to you as the twinkling of an eye; then shall your years and days not grow old or be fulfilled; then shall you be without beginning of days and end of life: then you shall pass eternity as a moment of time; then you shall forever be without change, which now heart cannot comprehend, nor tongue or mouth express and fathom. Behold, this is now to be hung as a bright mirror before the eyes of our hearts; they are fruits of the promised land, the sweet word of God, and immortal fruits, the powers of the world to come.

See hereby, my very dear and most beloved holy brethren and sisters in the regeneration and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead into heavenly places, that is, through the renewing of the spirit of the mind (Eph. 4:23), through the mind of Jesus Christ, as firm walls and pillars in the truth of God, my dear friends, the apple of my eyes, my right hand and foot, hold fast to, and continue to stand upon, the firm ground of truth, upon which you are built and placed, whereunto we are from eternity foreordained, called and created of God, that is, according to the likeness of God, and to eternal life, through Jesus Christ. I commend you all to the holy, invincible God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and to his holy word and everlasting peace, in your holy assemblies, to the praise of his holy name, and to our salvation. We give and commend you and all of us again, for an eternal adieu, into the invincible arms of his power, and into the invincible hands of his strength; the powers of heaven and the firmament of faithfulness be our foundation and strength, to enter through death into life eternal. We unworthy ones greet your love out of pure unfeigned, heartfelt, brotherly love, yea we greet all our brethren and sisters, the regenerated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ into heavenly places, the mind of Christ, the new likeness and brightness of his glory, the undefiled, pure knowledge of God, that leads to the hope of eternal life, through firm faith and power, and the communion of the Holy Ghost forever. Amen.

This we unworthy ones have written you in haste in our bonds, if haply it should please God, that we might be worthy of being remembered by you in your holy prayers, harping and hallelujahs, and that we with you, and you with us, might forever rejoice. Greet therefore, in our name, all the saints of God, and you among yourselves, with pure hearts, holy and bent knees, uncovered heads, in the holy name of our God, with the pleasant kiss of peace, embrace and bless one another cordially in fervent love. Once more I commend you to the faith of God’s elect, the health of Jesus Christ, the knowledge of God that leads to godliness, and to the hope of eternal life; and remain invincible forever. The Lord be praised forever. Amen.

Written by me TIJS JEURIAENSS, your weak, poor and miserable brother, from our bonds, A. D. 1569, the 5th day of February, imprisoned in the Hague for the testimony of the truth.

WILLEM JANSS FROM WATERLAND, AFTER TERRIBLE TORTURES BURNED ALIVE AT AMSTERDAM, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE 12TH OF MARCH, 1569.

About two weeks after the death of the aforementioned hero of God, Pieter Pieterss Beckjen, there was also (entirely for his sake) put to death, in the same place at Amsterdam, another valiant champion and soldier of Christ, who loved the truth more than his own life, named Willem Janss, born in Waterland, and residing at Doornickendam, the circumstances which led to his death being as follows:

This Willem Janss having heard that his dear fellow brother Pieter Pieterss Beckjen was about to offer up his sacrifice, and to deliver his body to the fire, for the truth, at Amsterdam, he made great haste also to appear at this time at the place of execution, at Amsterdam, in order that he might witness the death of his brother, and, if possible, strengthen him in the faith in his extremity.

However, when he arrived at the city, he was a little too late, the bar having already been let down on account of the execution. But his zeal was so great, that he had no rest till he might see his beloved friend either alive or dead: hence he, for a certain sum of money, had the bar unlocked and made haste to be present at said offering.

When Pieter Pieters Beckjen was brought forth to die, this valiant hero and friend of God, standing over against the place of execution, on the steps of the weighing office, called to him with a loud voice, saying: “Contend valiantly, dear brother.”

He was immediately also seized by the persecutors, thrown into prison, twice severely and horribly tortured, and, when he would in no wise apostatize, he was two weeks after the death of his dear brother, sentenced to the fire, to be burned alive, at the same place where his brother had died; which was also done to him after he had commended his soul into the hands of God.

The foregoing was recorded long ago, from credible witnesses, though the date, or time when it occurred was not correctly stated;[315] which we have corrected according to the import of the following sentence, which was pronounced upon him on the day of his death, in the court at Amsterdam, in which also all the circumstances upon which the rulers of darkness at that time founded his death are expressed. It reads as follows:

[315] The time of the death of Willem Janss, as also of Pieter Pieterss Beckjen, had from of old been fixed in the year 1567; but this was two years too early, as appears from the adjoined sentence.

Sentence of death of Willem Janss from Waterland.

Whereas Willem Janss, from Waterland, residing at Doornickendam, present here as a prisoner, unmindful of his soul’s salvation, and the obedience which he owed to our mother the holy church, and to His Royal Majesty, as his natural lord and prince despising the ordinances of the holy church, has never been to confession; and only once in his life, about eight years ago, to the holy, worthy sacrament; has further undertaken several times to go to the assembly of the reprobated and accursed sect of Mennonists or Anabaptists; also, about six or seven years ago, rejecting and renouncing the baptism received by him in his infancy of the holy church, been rebaptized, and afterwards received the breaking of bread three or four different times, after the manner of the aforementioned sect, has also exhorted said sect as a teacher; and on the 26th of February ultimo, when one Pieter Pieterss Beckjen, bargeman, was to be executed in this city, on account of said sect, he, the prisoner, standing among the people, undertook yet to strengthen said Pieter Pieterss in his obstinacy, calling with a loud voice these or similar words: “Contend valiantly, dear brother,” and though he, the prisoner, by my lords of the court as well as by divers clerical persons, has been urged and repeatedly admonished to leave the aforementioned reprobated sect, and to return to our mother the holy church, he nevertheless refuses to do the same, continuing in his stubbornness, and obstinacy, so that he, the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as by disturbing through said sect the common peace and welfare of the land, according to the import of the decrees of His Majesty existing in regard to this, which crimes, for an example unto others, ought not to remain unpunished; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard the demand of the lord Bailiff, and having seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to his stubbornness and obstinacy, have condemned said prisoner, and, by these presents do condemn him to be executed with fire according to the decrees of His Majesty; and declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty aforesaid. Done in court, the 12th of March, A. D. 1569, in presence of all the judges, by advice of all the burgomasters.

Of the twofold torturings of the aforesaid martyr according to the record of said secretary.

This delinquent was tortured twice, according to the sentence of the judges, namely, the 26th of February, and the last of the same month, A. D. 1569, as appears from the records of the confession.

Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam, preserved in the archives of said city.

N. N.

JAN QUIRIJNSS, OF UTRECHT, A SKIPPER, AFTER BEING TWICE TORTURED, EXECUTED WITH FIRE, OR BURNT ALIVE, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT AMSTERDAM, ON THE 12TH OF MARCH, A. D. 1569.

On the same day that the aforementioned friend of God, Willem Janss, from Waterland, was put to death by fire, there was also, in the same city of Amsterdam, by the same judges, in the same court, and for the same reason, sentenced to death and the fire, a certain pious brother, named Jan Quirijnss, a native of Utrecht, and by trade a skipper; who, though he was a citizen of the city of Amsterdam, had nevertheless his citizenship in the new and heavenly Jerusalem, to obtain which, he pressed through the strait gate, so that he left his flesh on the posts, all of which appears from the following sentence, which was pronounced about an hour before his death; and which, though drawn up very odiously by the papistic rulers who then reigned at Amsterdam, nevertheless, when considered impartially, sufficiently shows the truth of what we have just said. The contents of it, except the title, are word for word as follows:

Sentence of death of Jan Quirijnss, of Utrecht, a skipper.

Whereas Jan Quirijnss, skipper, born at Utrecht, citizen of this city, at present a prisoner, unmindful of his soul’s salvation, and the obedience which he owed to our mother, the holy church, and to His Royal Majesty, as his natural lord and prince, undertook, contrary to the ordinances of the holy church, and to the great contempt of the holy baptism received by him in his infancy, to have himself baptized by the teachers of the reprobated and accursed sect of the Mennonists, about seven years ago; also, afterwards, at two different times, according to the manner of said sect, to receive the breaking of the bread; and several times attended the assembly of said sect, and this even within a year: and, moreover, has always so despised the ordinances of the holy church, and does still despise them, that he has been neither to confession nor to the holy, worthy sacrament, except once about twelve years ago; to which reprobated and accursed sect he, the prisoner, still persistently clings, refusing to return to our mother, the holy church, notwithstanding he has repeatedly, by divers clerical persons, and also by the court of this city, been urged thereto and thus instructed; so that he, the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as disturbing by his sect the common peace and welfare of the land, according to the decrees of His Majesty; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard the demand of my lord the Bailiff, and seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to his great stubbornness and obstinacy, have condemned him, and by these presents do condemn him, to be executed with fire, according to the decrees of His Majesty; and declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty aforesaid, without prejudice to the privileges of this city in all other matters. Done in court, in presence, etc.

How said martyr was twice tortured, according to the record of the secretary of said place.

The aforesaid person was twice tortured, namely on the fourth and fifth of March, A. D. 1569, and this according to the sentence of the judges, as appears from the records of the confession.

Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam, preserved in the archives of said city.

N. N.

CORNELIS JANSS OF HAERLEM, A SAILOR, BURNT FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT AMSTERDAM, ON THE 12TH OF MARCH, A. D. 1569.

At the same time, and in the same court, there also received his sentence of death, Cornelis Janss, a sailor, a native of Haerlem according to the body, but born again of God from heaven according to the soul. However, he had not yet received baptism upon his true faith, which (though he had not been able to find an opportunity for it) he greatly deplored even at his very last, since the Lord has said: “Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” Matt. 3:15.

In short, sentence was pronounced upon him, that he should like the preceding martyrs (Willem Janss and Jan Quirijnss) be put to death with fire; concerning which we have obtained, from the book of criminal sentences, of the city of Amsterdam, a true copy of his sentence of death, as also, how he was twice examined by torture, or on the rack, and when all this took place; which copy we will faithfully annex here, for the greater confirmation of this matter: it reads as follows:

Sentence of death of Cornelis Janss of Haerlem, sailor.

Whereas Cornelis Janss, sailor, born at Haerlem, citizen of this city, at present a prisoner here, unmindful of his soul’s salvation,[316] and the obedience which he owed to our mother, the holy church, and to His Imperial Majesty, as his natural lord and prince, has apostatized from the holy church, so that he, despising her ordinances, has never in his life been to confession, nor to the holy worthy sacrament; and has also several times attended the assembly of the reprobated and accursed sect of the Mennonists, in this city, as well as lately, before the last frost, in the town of Middleburgh, in Zealand, being then so hardened in said sect, that he still, as prisoner, declares that he regrets that he is not rebaptized, and has not received the breaking of bread, adding that he would have done this if he had had a convenient time for it; to which reprobated and accursed sect, he, the prisoner, still persistently clings, refusing to return to our mother, the holy church, notwithstanding he has repeatedly, by divers clerical persons, and also by the court of this city, been urged thereto, and instructed; so that he, the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as disturbing the common peace and welfare; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard the demand of my lord the Bailiff, and seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to his great stubbornness and obstinacy, have condemned said prisoner, and by these presents do condemn him to be executed with fire, according to the decree of His Majesty; and declare his property confiscated without prejudice to the privileges of this city in all other matters. Done in court, in presence, etc.

[316] A great calumny which the writer of this sentence cast upon this good man, as though he had been forgetful of his soul’s salvation.

Touching the two torturings of the aforesaid martyr, according to the record in the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam.

The aforesaid person was twice tortured, according to the sentence of the judges, namely, on the fourth and the sixth of March, A. D. 1569, as appears from the records of the confession.

Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of Amsterdam, preserved in the archives of said place.

CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, A SAIL-MAKER, BURNT FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT AMSTERDAM, ON THE TWELFTH OF MARCH, IN THE YEAR 1569.

The awful fury and blood-thirstiness of the papistic rulers in the city of Amsterdam continued, and on the same day pronounced sentence of death upon a fourth person of said Anabaptistic religion, named Clement Hendrickss, a sail-maker by trade.

He, though possessing a living, effectual and holy faith, yet through want of opportunity or some other reason had also, like the preceding martyr, Cornelis Janss, not yet received baptism upon his faith, which grieved him not a little when he was in bonds; but he did not on this account cast away his hope in the grace of God, since this had not been omitted through contempt of this holy ordinance of Christ, but from want of opportunity, on account of the pressure of persecution.

The authorities of the abovementioned city also viewed it in this light, and sentenced him to the fire, according to the imperial decree, as though he had already been baptized upon faith, because he confessed being desirous of it. This severe punishment of death he valiantly and steadfastly endured, and was thus numbered by the pious, with the number of the faithful martyrs of Jesus Christ, though according to the judgment of the papists he died as a heretic, as appears from the following sentence which was publicly read to him in court, just before his death, by the rulers of darkness, in these words:

Sentence of death of Clement Hendrickss, sail-maker.

Whereas Clement Hendrickss, sail-maker, citizen of this city, at present a prisoner here, unmindful of his soul’s salvation,[317] and the obedience which he owed to our mother, the holy church, and to His Imperial Majesty, as his natural lord and prince, has so apostatized from the holy church, that he, despising her ordinances, has for five years and longer been neither to confession nor to the holy sacrament, and has at three different times attended the assembly of the reprobated and accursed sect of the Mennonists, the last time about a year ago; and is so hardened in said sect, that even while a prisoner he has declared that he is sorry that he is not rebaptized, and has not received the breaking of bread; and has also repeatedly attended the meetings; to which abovementioned reprobated sect of Mennonists, he, the prisoner, still persistently clings, refusing to return to our mother, the holy church, notwithstanding he has repeatedly, by divers clerical persons as well as by the court of this city, been urged thereto and instructed; so that the prisoner, according to what has been mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as disturbing by his sect the common peace and welfare; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard the demand of my lord the Bailiff, and seen the confession of the prisoner, and having had regard to his great stubbornness and obstinacy, and duly considered everything, have condemned said prisoner, and by these presents do condemn him to be executed with fire, according to the decrees of His Majesty; and declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty aforesaid, without prejudice to the privilege of this city in all other matters. Done in court, in presence, etc.

[317] How often shall it be said in these Amsterdam sentences, of the true believers, that they were unmindful of their soul’s salvation, whereas this was their sole object?

Of the torturing of the abovementioned Clement Hendrickss, and when this took place.

The aforesaid person was tortured, according to the previous sentence of the judges, on the fourth of March, A. D. 1569, as appears from the records of the confession.

Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences, preserved in the archives of the city of Amsterdam.

N. N.

* * * * *

Here follow several letters from the aforementioned martyrs, the first from Jan Quirijnss, and the other from Clement Hendrickss.

A LETTER OF JAN QUIRIJNSS, IMPRISONED WITH CORNELIS JANSS AND CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, AT AMSTERDAM, WHERE ALL THREE WERE BURNED FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST.

The eternal, almighty and merciful Father, who by his mighty arm led his chosen out of the house of the bondage of Pharaoh, keep and confirm you, my beloved sister in the Lord, with the power of his Holy Spirit, to so do his will that you may be found spotless and blameless in all peace, and in all righteousness, truth, zeal, and love, unto the end; this grant you the almighty and strong Lord, who is alone wise and just; to him be praise, honor, glory, and gratitude, now and forever. Amen.

Very dear and much beloved sister in the Lord, whom I greatly love according to the spirit, I have undertaken, by the saving grace of God, to write you a little, as you requested of me poor servant; for I deem myself unworthy of writing to another--it were more necessary that some one should write to me. For, dear sister, I find so much lacking in me, that, when I call upon the Father, I fear that I am not his child, for I do not half his will. But, dear sister, though we are compassed by vile flesh, we will not give up courage, but firmly keep on, and always pray without ceasing, and give him the praise, and constantly thank him for his unspeakable kindness which he has shown us simple children. Eph. 2:7. O what great grace has appeared to us! O what love has been shown us! O what light has arisen to us! O what excellent, precious, hidden treasure has been given into our earthen vessels! That which is hid from the wise and prudent, he has now revealed unto us poor, simple children. Matt. 11:25. The clear truth is now made known to us; the beautiful, shining light has shined into a dark place; the clear radiance has been given into our hearts, whereby we are illumined with the uncovered, clear light, through Christ Jesus, this gracious Lord of lords. 2 Pet. 1:19; 2 Corinthians 4:6.

He took away the great darkness out of our dark hearts and yielded himself, this merciful Jesus Christ, to be a shining light unto us, as John says: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” 1 John 1:5,6. Therefore, dear sister, take heed to the light, and let it be a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path, as David says (Ps. 119:105), that you may not stumble by day, but may always see before you wherever you go; for the darkness is passed, and the true light now shines. 1 John 2:8. He has delivered us from the power of darkness [and called us] into his marvelous light, who, as Peter says, in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God. Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9,10. For this reason we may well be glad in our hearts, and rejoice, and say with David (Ps. 124:7): “The snare is broken, and we are escaped; we are delivered out of the jaws of the lion, in which we were imprisoned,” that is, in this dismal, abominable, subtle, wicked world, which lieth in wickedness. 1 Pet. 5:19.

The God of this world, that rules in the children of unbelief, has so blinded the minds of them that they believe not, and so stopped their hearts, that they cannot see or perceive in the least, nor taste that the Lord is gracious. 2 Cor. 4:4. With them we all had our fellowship, and had our conversation in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Eph. 2:3. But the rich, merciful and kind God looked with his gracious eyes upon us poor sinners, and stretched forth his blessed hand, and has now extended it to us, and has delivered and brought us out of the pit of death and tied up and healed our wounds; our hungering and thirsting souls he has satisfied with the bread of life, and refreshed with the water of the Holy Ghost; he did not let us lie in our blood, he did not desire to pass by us, he did not let us perish with hunger; when we asked for bread he did not give us a stone; neither did he let us go thirsty, but refreshed our famishing souls from the clear fountain of living water. O that we had never spent money for that which is not food! but we have largely spent our money for bitter gall and vinegar, and for false, corrupt leaven. O that we had thought of this gracious host, who gives it for nought to all that ask him (Rev. 21:6); and none that come to him will be cast out. Hence, my dear sister, let us desire the rational, unadulterated milk, as new born babes, that are born again from above of God, through Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:3; John 3:3. Let us take good heed to and firmly keep our new birth; for John says: “Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” John 3:9.

O that we might take an example from Esau, who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. O how little did he esteem his salvation; but afterwards, when he sought it with tears, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance. Gen. 25:33; 27:38; Heb. 12:17. But, dear sister, let us diligently take heed, that we hold fast that which we have, which has been given us from above of him who is the giver of all good. Rev. 2:25; James 1:5,17. And if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hears us, in whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desire of him. 1 John 5:14,15. Is this not a gracious Lord? Yes, assuredly, and he is a Lord rich over all them that call upon him; only place your trust firmly upon him, and put your will into God’s will, and all will be well.

Therefore, my dear sister in the Lord, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58. For you shall receive reward by it. Matt. 20:9. If you sow to the Spirit, you shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Gal. 6:8. If we sow in tears, we shall reap with joy; for our shame we shall receive honor, and for confusion we shall rejoice, says the prophet. Is. 61:7. O let us be content then--we shall be such a glorious people; and with patience wait for it, and think of the glorious promise that he has promised us. 1 John 2:25. He also will do it, he will not delay his promise (2 Peter 3:9); only let us continue valiantly, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, not slothful in our business, but fervent in spirit, a burning love in our hearts (Romans 12:10, etc.), and the Lord through love grounded and rooted in us (Eph. 3:17), so that no one may be able to separate us from the love of God, nothing of all that may come upon us for the name of Jesus Christ, and for his testimony. Romans 8:35. Let therefore no one beguile us of our reward, but let us evince from our faith virtue, and let our moderation be known unto all men. Colossians 2:18; 2 Peter 1:5; Philip. 4:5. The Lord is at hand, be careful for nothing; for it is soon over; our time, dear sister, is so short, if we well consider it. 1 Cor. 7:29. Hence let us pass our short time in the fear of God, and be sober and vigilant; for our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith. 1 Peter 5:8,9. As James says: resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7. Yes, dear sister, he walks about us very craftily; now with this, now with that, whether outwardly or inwardly with our evil flesh, which is our greatest enemy, with whom we have most to contend; the Spirit against the flesh, the flesh against the Spirit: these are contrary the one to the other, so that we do not the things that we would. Gal. 5:17. But Paul gives us comfort, when he says: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. v. 16. O that we were as fervent in spirit, as diligent in good works, in seeking eternal life, as we are in seeking earthly treasures, worldly things, which must nevertheless perish and remain here; and that we might love God’s commandments above gold or precious stones; we should be such blessed children, we should continually have less and less conflict. But alas! it is sometimes the case, that greater endeavors are made for these temporal things, than for the abiding riches that are in heaven, which shall nevertheless endure forever. In writing this I do not mean that this is the case with you; for I well perceive that you seek the Lord with all your heart. Hence, my dear sister, let us lay to heart the words of the apostle, who warns us against the tempter; lest we also be deceived by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11), that is, that he aims to capture God’s children in his net by lies and envy, since he has been the father of lies from the beginning (John 8:44), as he has shown in the case of the first man, as is written in Wisdom: “God created man for eternal life; but through the envy of the devil death came into the world; and they that are of his part do follow him. 2:23,24. Thus he also comes to us with his emissaries, with whom we have a hard conflict, yea, those who went out from us being the most troublesome to us, so that we find that the Scripture is fulfilled, namely, that in the latter days it should be as John says: “Little children it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:18,19. See, dear sister, thus the apostle warns us; for they are not all Abraham’s children that are of Abraham’s seed. Rom. 9:7.

Therefore, dear sister, look to the pious, and not to the weak; look unto Jesus Christ the author and finisher of the faith, as Paul says, and suffer not yourself to be led astray by certain vain talkers who undertake to turn you aside. Heb. 12:2; Tit. 1:10. Christ says that in the latter days many false prophets shall arise in his name (O mark, in his name); insomuch that, if it were possible, even the very elect should be deceived. Matt. 24:24. But he that endureth to the end shall be saved; the elect shall not be deceived. Be valiant in your mind, and always pray without ceasing, with prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Meditate day and night in the law of the Lord, that you may be a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his rich good fruit in his season; whose leaf shall not wither (Ps. 1:2,3); and that you may be a fruitful branch in the vine Christ Jesus. For David says: “The righteous shall never fall, but shall stand forever like mount Zion”; yea, the righteous shall never be removed, says Solomon. Psalm 125:1; Prov. 10:30.

Let us therefore finish our course with joy, and strive lawfully (2 Tim. 2:5); for no one is crowned, except he strive lawfully, as did the pious forefathers, who placed their hope in God, whom they faithfully served. He did not forsake them, nor did they forsake him; they bowed their necks under the scepter of Christ Jesus, as the pious Esther also bowed her neck. 2 Esther 14:2. O take heed to this; though the righteous must suffer much here, and be deprived of all human help and comfort, let us turn our eyes to the succorer Jesus Christ, who will not forsake us. Can a mother forsake her child? Yea, though she forsake it, yet will I not forsake thee, says the Lord. Is. 49:16. He that touches us, touches the apple of his eye. Zech. 2:8. Who should not fear such a God, who always preserves and protects his poor people? For the joy which he has promised us, sweetens everything. He that ever cometh shall inherit all things. Rev. 21:7. They shall sit with Christ Jesus in his throne, even as he sat down with his Father in his throne. Revelation 3:21. Yea, he shall gird himself, and go before us, and serve us at table. Luke 12:37. How the righteous shall shine forth then in the kingdom of his Father! How they shall leap up then as calves of the stall! How the righteous shall then shine, as sparks that run among the stubble! how they that did not love their lives unto death shall then triumph and sing the song, and, with palms in their hands and crowns upon their heads, thank, praise, and magnify the name of the Lord! In short, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Matt. 13:43; Malachi 4:2; Wis. 3:7; John 12:25; Rev. 14:3; 2 Esdras 2:46; 1 Cor. 2:9.

Hence, let every one that has this hope in him purify himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:3. But the God of all grace, who has called us by his glory and power, strengthen and confirm you, my beloved, dear sister in the Lord, with the power of the Holy Ghost, unto the end. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10.

Herewith I will commend you, my beloved sister in Christ, to the Lord, and to the word of his great grace. Receive this my short, simple letter in good part, for I have written it out of true, unfeigned brotherly love, this the Almighty Lord knows. Hence I pray you, receive this from me in good part; for he that fears God receives everything for the best. Always hold fast your first love unto the end, and the fervent love to God and the brethren (Rev. 2:4; 1 Peter 4:8); may the Almighty, eternal and strong God grant you this. Amen.

* * * * *

Greet all my friends in my name, especially M. S’s daughter, G. R. W., and further all that know me. Several that were with me when I wrote this greet you; also Cornelis Janss greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

FIVE LETTERS OF CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, SENT FROM HIS PRISON IN AMSTERDAM, WHERE HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH; TOGETHER WITH JAN KRIJNSS AND CORNELIS JANSS MENTIONED ABOVE.

First letter, sent to one of his acquaintances, named Grietgen Dircks.

Know, dear Grietgen Dircks, that I am still of good courage in the flesh, and that my mind is still unchanged and fixed to fear the Lord, the Lord be thanked; I can never thank the Lord enough for it.

I sometimes am much grieved that I unworthy one have at times grieved you so much. I can easily imagine that many are grieved on my account, as I have heard, that it is said that I have apostatized from my faith, which is not true, the Lord be praised. So far they have asked me only simple questions; if they would only not ask more closely, this I sincerely desire; but I fear that I already am where I must stay. The Lord grant unto me what is for my salvation. I trust in him, that he will give me strength, that I may continue to his praise, and to the salvation of my soul. Our other three brethren have already fought the fight; if it is the Lord’s will, he may also take me home. On Friday I yet knew nothing to the contrary, but that I should also offer up my sacrifice; and my mind was quite ready for it, the Lord be thanked; I can never thank him enough, that he so faithfully succors me. I trust only in him, and he that trusts in him shall not be ashamed; for he does not forsake his own who trust in him alone. Be so kind and greet all the brethren very much in my name, and tell them to pray for me, that the Lord would strengthen me unto my last extremity; for the prayer of the faithful and righteous avails much; this is my sincere request. Acts 12:5,12; James 5:16. Herewith I will commend you to the Lord, if we should see each other no more with the eyes of the flesh; take this in good part, and tell my sister what I have written you; for she is as yet under the impression that I have apostatized from my faith--the Lord is the discerner of all hearts. Acts 1:24.

By me Clement Hendrickss, unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

The second letter of Clement Hendrickss.

Grace, peace and mercy from God our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ his only beloved Son, who gave himself for us, out of great love, to deliver us from the bond of death; this fervent love, with the power and strength of the Holy Ghost, I wish you my very dear and beloved N., as a token of gratitude, and for consolation and strength, now and forever. Amen.

Further, my very dear and beloved, beloved by God, the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, out of true Christian, brotherly love I cannot well forbear to write your love briefly as to how it still is with me in my bonds. I cannot thank and praise the Lord sufficiently, that he so comforts me in my tribulation, and that my mind is still fixed to fear the Lord with all my heart all the days of my life, according to my weak ability. Furthermore, very dear and beloved, I poor and unworthy one have undertaken to write you a little, though I am unfit to do so; but it is done out of true Christian, brotherly love; hence accept it from me in good part.

O my very dear and beloved, what a beautiful consolation it is to us, that Christ says: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:10. Christ also says: Whosoever doth not take up his cross, and follow me, is not worthy of me; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Luke 9:23,24. Paul, further, says all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3:12. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. Ps. 34:19. Therefore, my very dear and beloved, the prophets suffered, yea, Christ himself, and also all the pious witnesses of Jesus Christ even unto the present day. Hence, let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding, that, when he cometh and knocketh they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Luke 12:35–37. Hence, my dear and much beloved, what a beautiful comfort this is to us! For it is written: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9. He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt. 24:13. And Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great people, whom he could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs. And in the midst of them there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; at which he [Esdras] marveled greatly. So he asked the angel, and said: Sir, what are these? He answered and said: These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms. Then he asked the angel: What young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands? And he answered and said: It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. 2 Esd. 2:42–47.

Behold, my dear and much beloved in the Lord, what is our life? It is even a vapor, or as a smoke that is driven by the wind, not knowing whence it cometh, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Jas. 4:14. But our dying is nothing less than an introduction into eternal life, to reign with God and Christ. Christ says: He that believeth in me is passed from death unto life. John 5:24. If we die through him, we live in him, for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; and Abraham believed in him, and all believers live in God. Matt. 22:33; Jas. 2:23. Though they suffered death, they were the friends of God, so that he says: He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of my eye. Zech. 2:8. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth you not, because it knew him not. Therefore, my dear and much beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:1–3. We know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, that we may be clothed upon with it. 2 Cor. 5:1,2. Yea, saith Paul, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ; whether it be comfort or tribulation, it is all for our salvation, if we suffer as the saints suffered, that is, for the testimony of the word of God. 2 Cor. 1:5,6; Revelation 6:9. Paul further says: If we suffer with him, if we die with Christ, we shall live with him. 2 Tim. 2:11,12. He further says; that our earnest expectation is nothing less than the manifestation of the sons of God, that is, we desire and long so greatly for the appearing of our Lord in the clouds, that we may be caught up to him in the clouds, and become like him. Rom. 8:19; Matt. 24:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:17. While we are in these tabernacles, we are burdened; for we would rather be clothed upon with the immortal and heavenly glory with which Christ shall glorify us. He that hath wrought us for this selfsame thing is God, who hath given unto us the earnest of the faith, through faith and trust in his Son. 2 Cor. 5:4,5.

Hence, my dear and much beloved, even as it is also written; Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are temporal, but at the things which are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16–18. Herewith I commend you to the Lord; may he bless and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and upon us all, and be gracious unto us. Num. 6:24,25. Greet the brethren much in my name, where it is convenient. I will commend you all to the Lord until the appearing of our Lord. The peace of the Lord be with you now and forever. Amen.

Written in bonds, on Christmas Monday, by me,

CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

Third Letter of Clement Hendrickss, to his father and mother.

I wish you, my dear and beloved father, and my dear and much beloved mother, the Spirit of truth, and the knowledge of the faith, according to the mind of Christ Jesus, a clear vision and an open heart in all divine matters and in the word of God, thereby rightly to discriminate which is light or darkness, lies or truth, yea, flesh or spirit; in order that you may not be deceived, but firmly adhere to the word of God, so that you may receive a full reward, and lose none of those things which you have hitherto wrought through your faith. 2 John 8.

Further, my dear and much beloved father and mother, whom I well remember in my bonds, and still pray for you every morning and evening, that the Lord would comfort you in your sorrow, which you have for me, poor, unworthy man, who am not worthy that you should sorrow for me. Furthermore, my dear and much beloved father and mother I inform your love, that I have undertaken to write your love a little, as to how it still is with me, and that it is still my purpose to fear the Lord with all my heart, with all my strength, and with all my soul, as long as I remain in the flesh, for which I can never sufficiently thank and praise the almighty, great and only wise God for his unspeakable, yea, incomprehensible grace, which he has hitherto shown me and still daily shows me through Jesus Christ and the supply of his Spirit. Philip. 1:19. For this I thank the almighty God, and bow the knee of my heart (Prayer of Manasses) before the Father full of grace, who is a true and righteous God of mercy, and a God that comforts us all with his holy word. Therefore, my dear and much beloved father and mother, sorrow not for me poor, unworthy man, but much rather rejoice herein, and praise the Lord for it, that he has called and made worthy your son, to suffer for his holy word and his Gospel. And we find, that the apostles and the prophets, yea, Christ himself, had to suffer according to the flesh, from evil and perverse men. Hence my dear father and much beloved mother, do not grieve too much, and be content herein, as much as is possible for you, this I most kindly ask you for the name of the Lord. And always comfort yourselves with the words of Christ where he says: He that loveth aught more than me is not worthy of me; and every one that forsaketh, house, home, lands, and father and mother, shall receive a hundred-fold. Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26; Matt. 19:29. Therefore, my dear and much beloved father and mother what else can we meet with in this life, than with great poverty? And what is man’s life? nothing but as the flower of the field: the grass withereth and the flower fadeth; and as a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. Isaiah 40:6,7; Jas. 4:14. Further, my dear and much beloved father, I am of good courage to offer up my sacrifice, and to suffer for the name of the Lord; for Christ says: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 10:32. Christ also says: Let your light shine before men. 5:16. And I fain would, when I am to offer up my sacrifice, that they would place me on a wagon and carry me around town, and scourge me four times, that I might let the light shine before this evil, blind and perverse generation; for I am not ashamed to suffer for the Gospel. Rom. 1:16. For I shall not suffer as a thief, or a rogue, or robber, or evil-doer, but I shall suffer as a Christian. 1 Peter 4:15,16. For if we suffer for evil-doing, what profit is it to us? but if we suffer for well-doing, this is acceptable with the heavenly Father. 2:20. Furthermore my dear and much beloved father and mother, I inform your love that they have let me know that I should commit myself into the hands of the clergy; then they thought I should get out of here. Thereupon I sent back word to them, that I had no intention of doing this, and that they should go to no trouble about it.

Hence, my dear and much beloved father and mother, be not dismayed on account of this, I humbly pray you for the name of the Lord, for of such things a Christian ought not to be ashamed. For there was Joseph, who was tempted by the Egyptian woman; and she had caught him by his coat or mantle, and wished to commit whoredom with him; and she would not let him go; but he fled from her, and left the mantle or coat in her hand, rather than commit this great sin with her. Therefore, my dear and much beloved father and mother, if the whore of Babylon takes hold of our coat or mantle, that we should commit whoredom with her, rather let go, through the grace of the Lord, your coat or mantle, namely, your temporal life, than that you should commit whoredom with her. Revelation 17:1,2.

Furthermore, my dear and much beloved father and mother, I ask you very humbly, with weeping eyes, for forgiveness for all that I have done amiss against you by word or deed, or by any thoughts, that you will forgive me. It seems that my time will soon be here now, when I shall offer up my sacrifice. Hence my dear and much beloved father and mother, I will commend you to the Lord, and bid you adieu till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace of the Lord be with you forever and ever. Amen.

Written by me, your beloved son, in my bonds.

CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

Fourth letter of Clement Hendrickss, to his father and mother.

A most friendly greeting to you my beloved father and mother. I inform you, that I am still of good courage and well, as I hope that also you are.

Further, my dear and much beloved father and mother, I inform your love how it is with me, according to the body, in my bonds. I cannot thank and praise the Lord enough for it, that he so comforts me in my tribulation, and that it is still my fixed purpose to fear the Lord as long as I am here, though flesh and blood should suffer on this account.

Furthermore, my dear and much beloved father and mother, I inform your love, how they dealt with me when I was first apprehended. I had been invited out in the evening, which was on a Wednesday, and we were speaking of going home. Then the watch met us, and we had no light with us, whereupon we were taken up above by the watch, where sat Floris den Bral, who asked us, whence we came, whether we had not been at a meeting of the new religion. We said: “No.” He asked whether we would substantiate this with our oath. I said to him: “Will you not believe my word; I mean to tell you the truth.” But he insisted on the oath, and we would not swear, then he said: “Take them back below.” And we were forthwith taken in the rear, into the dungeon, as though we had been thieves or rogues. The next morning we were taken above, and they brought me first before the lords, having bound my hands behind my back, as though I had been a thief. Then the bailiff asked me and said: “Clement.” And I said: “Sir Bailiff.” He asked: “How many times have you attended the meetings of the Mennists?” I kept silence and gave him no answer. And he insisted hard upon knowing it, whereupon I was led away into a room by myself. Then the others were brought before the lords, and asked concerning their faith. They confessed their faith, and then I was again brought before the lords, and he again asked me, how often I had attended the meetings. He wanted to know whether I had been there ten times. I said: “No.” Eight times? “No.” Seven times? “No.” Three times? “Yes.” Then he asked me, who had been the preacher. I said: “I am not minded to tell it.” He also wanted me to tell in what house I had been, and what people had been there. I told him that I was not minded to tell him. He said that he should make me tell it. I was then taken back into the dungeon. The day following I was again taken up before the lords, and the Bailiff asked me, whether I would not yet tell him, who had been the preacher, where it had been, and what people had been present. I told him that I was not yet minded to tell it, and said: “I am in trouble, and I do not wish to bring any one else into trouble; you have me here, deal with me according to your pleasure.” Jeremiah 26:14. Then the Bailiff said to the judges: I demand him to be put on the rack, in order to learn all the particulars. And he said: “Take him to the rear;” and I was taken to the rack, where I was stripped, and my shirt tied before my body. Thus I was placed in a sitting posture on the rack, and my eyes blindfolded. Then the Bailiff came to me, and asked me whether I would not yet tell it. I told him that I was not yet minded to tell it. Thereupon I was laid upon the rack, and tied to it with seven ropes. On my head there were two knots, which lay on my forehead; and a cord on each of my great toes, and the others around my body. The ropes were twisted together with billets of wood, and I expected nothing else but that he would twist in pieces the ribs in my body. Urine was also poured into my mouth, and as I lay there in pain, I was also scourged on my breast. The Lord knows how they dealt with me. Through the severe pain I named four persons; but I hoped that they were not in town. This lasted about half an hour. I said to them, that they should put a rope around my throat, and dispatch me at once. When they loosed the ropes, I was not able to get up by my own efforts; the servants had to help me up. I was then taken back into a dungeon. The next day I was again brought above before the lords, and if it had not been for Joost Buyck, I would have been tortured again, though I was scarcely able to walk. Then the Bailiff asked me, whether I would not have a monk to come and see me. I said, that he might stay away. He said: “You have to hear a dog bark; can you not hear a man talk?” I was then taken back into the dungeon, and a priest and a monk came to dispute with me. They began to prate much of this and that, and to tell many fables; but I kept silence, and let them prate on; and they got angry because I did not reply to them more, and one of them said that I had the devil in me. Four days after I was taken above again, when they told me that I should prepare myself against Saturday. I said: “Whenever it pleases the Lord I am ready.” I was then taken back into the dungeon, and expected nothing else than that I should offer up my sacrifice on Saturday, and even on Saturday I had no other expectation but of offering up my sacrifice. There came a priest to me, and would have me confess to him. I said that I did not want to confess to him, since he could not forgive my sins; I said: The best confession is to confess to the Lord my God. Then the Bailiff with two judges came to me, and said, that they would wait with me two weeks yet; but I was of such good courage to offer up my sacrifice, as though I had known nothing of death. Phil. 2:17. And so I am still of such good courage, as though I knew nothing of imprisonment. It began to vex me that it is deferred so long. I long to be out of the flesh, and am quite cheerfully resigned to offer up my sacrifice; the Lord does not forsake his own who trust in him. Furthermore, my dear and much beloved father, I inform you, that I received your letter, and I was rejoiced to learn that you are so well content herein.

Further, my dear father and mother, I will bid you adieu, if it be the Lord’s pleasure, till the appearing of our Lord. The peace of the Lord be with you forever. Amen. By me,

CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

Fifth letter of Clement Hendrickss.

I wish you, my dear and beloved in the Spirit and according to the truth, as I trust, in the knowledge of the faith, and in the mind of Christ Jesus, a clear vision, and an open heart, in all divine matters, and in the word of God, thereby rightly to discriminate which is light or darkness, lies or truth, yea, flesh or spirit; in order that you may not be deceived, but adhere firmly to the word of God, so that you may receive a full reward.

Further, my dear and much beloved, I cannot well forbear to write you a little, how it still is with me in my bonds, and that my mind is still fixed to fear the Lord with all my heart, with all my strength, and with all my soul, for which I can never fully thank and praise the almighty, great and allwise God, for his unspeakable, yea, incomprehensible grace which he has hitherto shown me and still daily shows me, through Jesus Christ, and the supply of the Spirit. For this I thank the almighty God, and bow the knee of my heart before the Father full of grace and truth, who is the true Father full of grace, and the God of all comfort, who can comfort us when we are in tribulation and distress. 2 Cor. 1:3,4. Hence, my dear and faithful, keep well this good treasure, which is committed to you, given you of God through grace; for faith is the gift of God. Rom. 12:3. By it the elders obtained a good report, and assurance in their hearts, through the ancient word of the Spirit of Christ, who had testified before with their spirit, that they were the children of God, and heirs of all the glorious promises. Heb. 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:11. Hence they willingly forsook everything, and esteemed it nevertheless much more and greater riches, to suffer affliction with the children of God, than to enjoy all the temporal pleasures of this world; for they had respect unto the recompense of the reward, and to that which was eternal and not temporal. Heb. 11:25,26; 2 Cor. 4:18. For faith looks to that which does not appear here now, nor is seen with carnal eyes, but which is beheld by the inner, hidden man, and by the eyes of the heart; and hence they hold it fast, as though they saw it before their eyes, and could touch it with their hands; for they judge him faithful that promised, that he also will do it, for he cannot deny himself. Heb. 11:1,11; 10:23; 2 Timothy 2:13. Therefore, my dear and faithful, look not at the things which are seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:18. And Christ says: He that loveth aught more than me, is not worthy of me. Matt. 10:37. And in another place he says: Every one that forsaketh house, home, lands, and father and mother, yea, also his own life, shall receive a hundred-fold. Matt. 19:29. Hence we must forsake everything here, and love nothing more than the living God, and show it with works and by the deed, that we are the children of God, and not bastards. The righteous must through much affliction enter into the kingdom of heaven; but the Lord helps them in all their afflictions; he does not suffer his own to be tempted above that they are able, but has with the temptation also made a way to escape. Ps. 34:19; 1 Cor. 10:13. But the ungodly he reserves unto the day of judgment to be punished. 2 Pet. 2:9.

Hence, my dear and much beloved, remember Joseph, who was tempted by the Egyptian woman to commit whoredom with her; and she had taken hold of his coat or mantle, and would not let him go; but he fled from her, and left the coat or mantle, in her hand, rather than commit this great sin with her. Therefore, my dear and much beloved, if the harlot of Babylon takes hold of our coat or mantle rather let go, by the grace of God, your earthly coat, namely, your temporal life, than that you should be compelled to commit whoredom with her; well knowing that our mortal clothing must first be put off before the immortal can be put on. 2 Esdras 2:45. And if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building in heaven, a house not made with hands, but which is eternal. 2 Corinthians 5:1.

Furthermore, my dear and much beloved, I have undertaken to write you a little yet, of the words of Christ, where he says: If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter [that he may abide with you forever]; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.... Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye shall see me, and ye know me, says the Lord. John 14:15–17,19,20. In another place Christ also warns us, saying: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.... Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Matt. 7:15–17,19.

Herewith I bid you adieu with the sure word of his grace, until his coming. The peace of the Lord be with you forever and ever. Amen. Receive this my brief letter in good part.

Written in my bonds out of love, by me,

CLEMENT HENDRICKSS, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

VEIT GREYENBURGER, A. D. 1570.

In the year 1570, Veit Greyenburger, a brother, was apprehended at Wald in Vintschgau as he was traveling through there. He had been spied out, and a prize set upon his capture. When he arrived at the inn, and the peasants noticed him, but did not well know him, they came into the inn by night, and when they saw him pray before eating, they put their heads together and said: “He is the man, or he looks like him;” and acted as though it were wrong to pray--so plainly could the devil be seen in them. Hence they watched him in the inn, and sent word to the judge in the castle at Niedersol, who came with many footmen and servants, bound his hands behind his back, and took him to the prison in the castle of Niedersol. Very soon after he was examined, and led back into prison. Five weeks afterwards the Grand Bailiff came from Saltzburg, who took him with two servants and two footmen to the castle at Saltzburg, and there put him in prison in chains. A long time, namely, two years and a half, afterwards, priests came, namely, the preacher of the Cathedral at Saltzburg, also the ecclesiastical judge and other fellows. Each had before him ink and paper, and they addressed brother Veit, and urged him to make his defense. The brother said: “What shall I say: You are accusers and judges, and what you are not able to carry out yourselves, the judge, the beadles, and the executioner must do in your stead. You tell it to the Prince, the Prince tells it to the judge, the judge to the beadles, the beadles to the executioner, who must finish it; this is your high priest who helps you to gain the victory.” Among other things the brother also said to them: “The Spirit says plainly what you are; for Paul writes: ‘That in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing Spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving.’” 1 Tim. 4:1–3. Then one of the priests said to him: “We do not forbid marriage; moreover, I have eaten meat to-day.” But the brother said: “Ah! it is well known that you forbid marriage and permit whoredom.” But when the priest had well bethought himself he said: “Do you know what Christ says: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do”? Matt. 23:2,3. Then brother Veit asked them: “Do you think that you are the same?” They replied: “Yes, we are they by the will of God.” The brother said; “You are they indeed, since you confess it; but Christ pronounces many woes upon them, and calls them serpents and a generation of vipers, hypocrites, fools and blind guides, and such are you, as your own mouth testifies.” Matt. 23. Then he was called an Anabaptist and the like.

Thereupon brother Veit asked them, whether they also considered Paul an Anabaptist. They said: “No.” Then he asked: “Why then did he baptize again those who had already been baptized with John’s baptism, which was certainly from heaven, but, was nevertheless not sufficient to salvation? How much less then can infant baptism, which is from men, be sufficient?” Then they were silent and brother Veit said: “You allow midwives to baptize; where is this written?” But they did not know, and sat there as dumb as dogs. Thereupon they asked him, whether he belonged to the Huterite society. He replied: “Huter was a teacher.” They asked: “Is he then your Messiah?” He answered: “Huter was a pious man, who was burnt at Innsbruck for his faith and the divine truth; but our Messiah is Christ. (John 1:21; 4:25.) But what kind of a Messiah and father have you at Rome, and also here in this town?” Then they said that the Pope had nothing to do with them. Then the brother said: “Then you have a superior here in town?.” The priests said that he was not their father. The brother rejoined: “You certainly said yourselves before, that your father had sent you forth.” Then they did not know what to say. In this manner he was examined several times; hence, Christ did not in vain say to his own: When they shall bring you into their synagogues, council houses, before magistrates, powers and the learned, take no thought how or what ye shall say: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which they shall not be able to gainsay or resist. Luke 21:12, etc.

Having been imprisoned upward of six years at Saltzburg, suffering much misery and tribulation, brother Veit, in the year 1576, through the help of God, escaped through a window of his prison. The people in the castle said that it was beyond the power of man to get out; but with God all things are possible. Matt. 19:26. Thus he returned to his brethren and the church, on the 9th of August of said year.

FOUR FRIENDS OFFERED UP IN MAESTRICHT;--ARENT VAN ESSEN; URSEL HIS WIFE; NEELTGEN, AN OLD WOMAN; AND TRIJNTGEN, HER DAUGHTER, IN THE YEAR 1570.

During the time of freedom following the destruction of the images, the church at Maestricht grew and flourished, increasing in number. But when the Duke of Alva came into the country, many fled out of the city whithersoever they best could: some, however, remained, among whom there was also a brother who was an elder and also a school teacher. His name was Arent van Essen, and he had a wife whose name was Ursel. In the same house with them there lived another couple, of whom the wife’s name was Trijntgen; and the name of her mother, an old women of about seventy-five years, was Neeltgen. These persons having been betrayed and reported to the authorities, one of the burgomasters of the city, a man of furious disposition, came violently, about twelve o’clock in the night, with his servants, called beadles, to the house of the schoolmaster, and with great noise apprehended this man Arent, and the latter was led in the night to the council house, called the Landskroon. About an hour after, the burgomaster with his beadles again went to the house of the aforesaid schoolmaster, to apprehend two women yet, whom he had not seized before. Arriving there he also found Neeltgen the old woman, who had come to see how it was with her daughter Trijntgen and the others; for she had heard that Arent had been taken away and imprisoned. He also apprehended these three, and took them likewise to the Landskroon, to the man, so that in the morning all four were together, rejoicing together in God, and comforting one another.

When they were brought before the lords, they each separately freely confessed their faith (1 Peter 3:15), and that they had received baptism upon their faith, and what else belongs to godly doctrines; in which, it seems, Ursel, though weak, according to the flesh, was not the most timid; for they separated her from the rest and delivered her to the lords (that is, to the Bailiff and the judges), who judge in cases of capital punishment. And thus she was taken to the Dinghuys, a place thus called; where she was greatly harassed with many threats, all of which she meekly bore and suffered. Thus it went also with her husband, Arent, whom they likewise delivered to the lords, and brought him to the prisoners’ gate, which is the highest prison, where also manifold wiles were employed to cause him to apostatize.

When this old woman Neeltgen and her daughter Trijntgen, were also delivered to the lords, and conducted to the Dinghuys, and came into the street on their way thither, both of them being joyful and of good courage, Trijntgen for joy began to sing, thus she was kindled in the Lord.

During their imprisonment in the Dinghuys they were frequently assailed by the lords, and also by monks and priests, who sought to move them to renounce their faith; but God preserved his sheep from the terrible rage of the wolves. After this they began first to torture Arent. Yea, it was said, that he was seven times severely tortured, so that he fell into despondency in consequence of all these tortures: but the Lord extended to him his hand, strengthened him, and gave him new courage, so that he manfully fought through, as we shall hear. Ursel his wife was likewise brought from the Dinghuys to the prisoners’ gate, where she exhorted her husband not a little, to the strengthening of his heart. There Ursel was also twice tortured on the rack; but she faithfully adhered to the truth. But it did not stop with this torturing in her case; for the executioner tied her hands together, and drew her up, and as she was hanging there he cut open her chemise with a knife baring her back, and severely scourged her with rods; this was done twice in one day. (It was said that a Jesuit advised this scourging.) But all this was patiently borne by Ursel, who, as said above, was also tender of body, so that before her imprisonment, she had to turn her stockings inside out, and put them on and wear them thus, because she could not bear the seams of the stockings inside on her limbs; but now, through the help of God, she was able to endure torturing and scourging. Neeltgen the old woman was also led to the torture, and when she came to the rack or ladder, she went and lay down upon it of her own accord; but the lords considering her age and feebleness, she was not tortured. They said to her: “It is not your first time, namely, that she lay on the rack; for they knew that she had also once in her youth been imprisoned and tortured for the truth, from which imprisonment she had been delivered in a remarkable manner. But her daughter Trijntgen was treated far less gently, for she was tortured very severely; and when she was taken from the rack almost in a fainting condition, she was laid upon a bed for a little while; but as soon as she was recovered a little she had to go on the rack again. And when she was tortured severely she cried aloud: “O Lord, succor me, and keep my lips.” For she was severely tortured, that she should name others; for they were thirsting for more blood. And God heard her prayer, and kept her lips, so that they could obtain nothing from her which implicated her neighbor. When Trijntgen was tortured the last time, she said: “I praise and thank the Lord.” Mother Neeltgen, who was not far off, hearing her daughter speak, asked: “Is that my child?” Hearing this, Trijntgen replied: “Yes, my mother;” and fell on her neck and kissed her.

On the 9th of January, in the year 1570, Arent and Ursel his wife were notified in the name of the lords, that each was to be put to a stake and burned, in which message they greatly rejoiced, because they were to be counted worthy to die for the name of Christ; and were full of joy that day and night, thanking and praising God, and thus waited for the day of their redemption.

In the morning a town beadle came to Ursel, and enjoined her in the name of his lords, that she should not speak in the street on her way to execution; this the beadle said in the presence of the lords. Ursel said to the lords: “And may I not sing a little, and say something now and then?” But this they would not permit her, and said among themselves: “We hear now what her intentions are.” They further said to the executioner: “Do as you are commanded, and stop her mouth.” The executioner had a piece of wood, which he put in Ursel’s mouth, and tied up her mouth with a cloth. And as they had been taken back from the prisoners’ gate, where they were tortured, to the Dinghuys, whence they were to go to execution, and where also Neeltgen and Trijntgen were still imprisoned, Trijntgen, when Ursel was led away from the Dinghuys, had come to a window above, and when she saw Ursel being led forth to death, she cried aloud over all the people, saying to Ursel: “Dear sister, contend manfully, for the crown of life is prepared for you.” Thus Ursel, with her mouth gagged, went to the Vrijthof (the place where she was to be offered up), the people complaining greatly, because her mouth had been gagged so that she could not speak one word.

When Ursel arrived at the scaffold which had been erected, she ascended it quietly as a lamb, and went directly into the hut, and the executioner immediately set fire to the same; and thus she was burned to ashes, and became a burnt offering unto the Lord.

Very shortly after, Arent, Ursel’s husband, was also notified to prepare himself for death, which he willingly received, and prepared himself accordingly. Before he was led forth to death, they also stopped and tied up his mouth, which presented a pitiful sight. They had erected a scaffold in another place than where Ursel had been put to death, namely, in the Friday or cattle market, near the Poel. What the lords sought by putting them to death separately was not really known; but common report had it, that the lords did it in order that Arent and Ursel might not derive any comfort from each other. When Arent was thus led, with his mouth gagged, to this place, a joyful and undismayed mind could be perceived. Having ascended the scaffold, he fell upon his knees, and fervently offered up his prayer.

He then arose and went into the hut, where he divested himself of part of his clothing; but as this took up some time, the Bailiff, who was present on horseback, called out to the executioner:. “Go on with your work;” which the latter immediately did, and lighted the fire, and thus this martyr was likewise burned to ashes, as a witness of Jesus Christ.

Above we said, that the old woman Neeltgen, and Trijntgen her daughter, remained still imprisoned in the Dinghuys. On the 23d of January of the same year, these two also received notice from the lords, that they should have to die as the others; which notice they so joyfully received, that time seemed very long to them before that day arrived. For they sought rest above in heaven with their dear heavenly Father, who, though he suffers his own to be tempted here, yet does never depart with his mercy from them, but delivers them out of all their distress. Hence, they were rejoiced in the Lord above measure, thanked and praised him the whole night, and thus waited longingly for the day of their redemption. In the morning, when they were to be led to execution, the executioner put a piece of wood into the mouth of each, and tied it up with a cloth; and thus they joyfully went (escorted) to the Vrijthof. On the way Trijntgen put her hands up to the cloth with which her mouth was tied, and began to draw it away and to say something, and to call out why they died. But this they would in no wise tolerate; hence the executioner went up to her and laid his hand upon her mouth, and ordered her to go into the hut; for most of this was done on the scaffold. And thus Trijntgen and her dear mother were led into the hut, and both burned to ashes, having commended their souls into the hands of God; which took place on the 24th of January, A. D. 1569.

ANNEKEN OGIERS, DAUGHTER OF JAN OGIERS, AND WIFE OF ADRIAEN BOOGAERT, DROWNED FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT HAARLEM, A. D. 1570.

The misery of persecution continued, so that almost nowhere liberty could be found for an upright Christian soul. Herein also those of Haarlem, in Holland, incurred guilt; which appeared in the year of our Lord 1570, for then they laid their hands (which they had previously several times imbrued in the blood of the saints) on a godfearing woman named Anneken, the daughter of Jan Ogiers, and wife of Adriaen Boogaert, who thirteen years previously had betaken herself from the darkness of popery to the true light of the Gospel, and, in proof that she desired to be a disciple of Jesus, had been baptized upon her faith, leaving and renouncing the Pope and the Romish church, and, on the other hand, accepting and confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and his church (namely, the cross-bearing church of the Anabaptists) as his beloved bride, wife and own body, by which she was then recognized as a member and fellow-sister.

When she in her imprisonment could by no means be turned from her faith, the rulers of the city of Haarlem concluded her trial, and, on the 17th of June, A. D. 1570, publicly in court, pronounced sentence of death upon her, namely, that she should be drowned and buried under the gallows. The sentence (excepting the title) reads word for word as follows:

SENTENCE OF DEATH OF ANNEKEN, JAN OGIERS’ DAUGHTER.

Whereas Anneken, Jan Ogiers’ daughter, and wife of Adriaen Boogaert, porcelain-maker, prisoner, has confessed without torture and iron bonds, that about thirteen years ago, she, rejecting the Christian baptism received by her in her infancy, was rebaptized at Amsterdam, contrary to our Catholic faith, and the unity of the holy Roman church, and also in contempt of the decrees of His Royal Majesty, our most gracious lord; and what is still worse, though she has been instructed for the best concerning her error and heresy, she still obstinately persists therein; therefore, the judges, having heard the demand made in conclusion by Jacob Foppens, Bailiff, of this city of Haarlem, in the name of His Majesty, as Count of Holland, against said prisoner, that she should be condemned by their sentence, to be conducted to the scaffold here, and executed with fire, until death should ensue; and all her property confiscated for the benefit of His Royal Majesty, according to the decrees of His Majesty aforesaid; have, by reason of what has been mentioned, condemned said Anneken, Jan Ogiers’ daughter, prisoner, and by these presents do condemn her to be executed with water and drowned here in the city-hall, until death ensues, and the body to be buried under the gallows; and declare all her property forfeited for the benefit of His Majesty. Thus read from the city-hall, by the sound of the bell, on the 17th of June, A. D. 1570, in presence of Jacob Foppens, Bailiff, Mr. Gerrit van Ravensberge, Mr. Lambrecht van Roosvelt, Mr. Huge Bol van Zanen, Aelbrecht van Schagen, Mr. Gijsbrecht van Nesse, Wouter van Rollandt, and Frans Janss Teyng, judges.

Extracted from the first book of penal sentences of the city of Haarlem (beginning A. D. 1539, and concluding the 27th of October, A. D. 1582; preserved in the archives of the city of Haarlem) and, after collation, found to accord with it; by me, the undersigned, secretary of the aforesaid city, the 14th of July, A. D. 1659.

The abovementioned sentence, we obtained, after much trouble, from the hands of the secretary of civil and criminal matters, or clerk of the criminal court of the city of Haarlem, through the instrumentality of one of our good friends, H. V., just as the same was read in court at the hour of the death of the aforesaid woman, and is still at the present day found in the city records of that place; from the particulars of which we have written the account that precedes the sentence.

BARBER JANS, A. D. 1570.

At Haarlem in Holland, in the year 1570, a woman, named Barber Jans, was apprehended, because she had apostatized from the Romish church, and endeavored to be a follower of Christ; who, having boldly confessed her faith, and firmly adhering to it, was sentenced to death on the 13th of February, and secretly drowned for the Gospel’s sake, and then burned to ashes.

ALLERT JANSS, A. D. 1570.

In the same year 1570, on the 13th of April, also a pious brother, named Allert Janss, was brought prisoner to Haarlem; who, after many temptations and assaults, because of his steadfastness in the divine truth, on the 6th of May, after the sentence had been pronounced, boldly went to the stake, to be burnt alive to ashes, and thus offered up a sacrifice, well-pleasing to God, and serving as an example to all the godfearing.

ANDRIES N., WITH HIS FATHER AND BROTHER, A. D. 1570.

In this same year also a brother named Andries N., because he, having died unto the world, had entered the service of God, was apprehended at Antwerp, and about the same time also his father and brother, who, being imprisoned together, rejoiced in the Lord, that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name, which they also boldly confessed before the secular rulers, and professed a good profession of their faith, to which they firmly adhered, notwithstanding the sufferings or vexations which, by subtilty, promises and threats, were inflicted upon them on this account; so that they persevered unto the end in the truth, in the true faith, and in the love to God. All three were then sentenced and burnt, and thus, offering up their sacrifice, as a sweet smelling savor unto God, helped to fulfill the number of their brethren that had gone before.

ANDRIES N., A. D. 1570.

In this same year 1570, there was also apprehended in Haarlem, for his faith and the truth, a brother named Andries N., who was tortured very cruelly for the space of three hours, but nevertheless, then as well as in other temptations and sufferings, always steadfastly adhered to his faith. Finally he was sentenced to death and burned, and thus, as a valiant soldier of the Lord, fought a good fight; hence, he is worthy not only to be remembered here for an example and perpetual memorial, but also to inherit the kingdom of his heavenly Father, which is prepared for all the pious.

JORIS VAN MEESCH AND JACOB LOWIJS, ABOUT 1570.

Christ says to his disciples: The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matt. 10:21,22. This also appeared about the year 1570 (for we do not know the exact time), when two pious followers of Christ, named Joris van Meesch and Jacob Lowijs, were apprehended at Ghent, in Flanders, where, after many temptations and severe threats (from the papists) they were put to death, testifying to and confirming the faith of the eternal truth with their blood. Hence, they shall at the last day be graciously accepted of God, and receive the crown of eternal glory at the hand of the Lord.

* * * * *

I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

JAN THE RIBBON WEAVER, JOOST THE WHEEL-WRIGHT WITH HIS WIFE, MAERTEN VAN WYJCKE WITH LIJSKEN HIS WIFE, AND JELIS THE MASON, IN THE YEAR 1570.

In the year 1570 there were apprehended at Antwerp, and put to death at the same place for the testimony of Jesus, the following godfearing persons: Jan the ribbon-weaver, Joost the wheel-wright with his wife, Maerten van Wijcke with Lijsken his wife, and Jelis the mason’s tender. Lijsken, however, the wife of Maerten van Wijcke, was kept imprisoned for one year, and then, on the 2d of May, 1571, burnt alive at said place.

Thus these six pious, godly persons were martyred by the tyrants and blood-thirsty, not on account of any crime, much less for any heresy, but only for following the genuine faith of the truth. Herein the latter followed the footsteps of their forefathers, the false prophets, who thus persecuted and killed the upright followers of the truth from the beginning. Hence, it is to be feared, that they will repent when it is too late, and will also receive the same recompense with those whose works they herein followed. But those who followed the true prophet Christ Jesus in true obedience and upright faith, shall, on the other hand, upon mount Zion, be clothed in white raiment, by their Bridegroom Christ Jesus for whose sake they suffered this, receive palms in their hands, and be crowned with crowns of eternal glory, which no one shall ever be able to take from them.

FAES DIRCKS, AND TWO OTHERS, A. D. 1570.

In the year 1570, on the 7th of April, there was apprehended for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, at Gouda, in Holland, a pious follower of Christ, named Faes Dircks, a chair-maker by trade. Afterwards, the 27th of May, he was very unmercifully and tyranically tortured by the blood-thirsty servants of antichrist, and led forth under the blue sky, and on the 30th of May of the same year, put to death, and burned for the genuine faith of the truth, following the footsteps of his Lord and Master Christ Jesus. Some time prior to this two other pious followers of Christ were put to death at Gouda, for the testimony of Jesus, one of whom according to the counsel of God, was not yet baptized upon his faith; but the God of all grace, who knows the heart, mind and thoughts of all men, accepted in him the will for the deed. Thus they suffered with Christ, and shall be received with him into eternal glory, at that time when all the earthly, carnal generation of men shall weep and lament over themselves eternally.

Subsequently, when Gouda was taken by the troops of the prince of Orange, it was deliberated upon to exhume the priest who had been the cause of the imprisonment and death of said Faes Dircks, and of the dispersion and persecution of many of those who feared God. They afterwards changed their mind, but hired a man for about four guilders, who took down the bones of Faes Dircks from the scaffold, and opened the grave of the aforesaid priest, who had previously died, and been interred in the church of the Franciscans, near the high altar, and then laid the bones of Faes Dircks upon the body of the priest; thus deriding this traitor, because he had deemed the godfearing unworthy to live with him in the same town, and, after their death, their bodies unworthy of burial, but they had to be given as food to the birds of heaven. But at the speedy coming of Christ from heaven, this idolatrous priest shall find, when it will be too late for repentance, who of them both will be acknowledged and accepted by the chief Shepherd as an acceptable sheep, or as a rejected goat.

Concerning this martyr Faes Dircks we have obtained three examinations, namely, two without torture and one on the rack, just as the same have been extracted by the secretary there from the town records of Gouda, which we therefore will communicate to our fellow believers for the greater confirmation of the foregoing account; they read as follows.

COPY OF THE CONFESSIONS MADE BY FAES DIRCKS IMPRISONED HERE IN THIENDEWEGS GATE.

First Examination.

The 11th of May, 1570, the Bailiff of Gouda brought to examination the hereinafter mentioned person; there being present, Gijsbert Jan Maertenss, and Gerraert Huygen, burgomasters, Dirck Andries, Mr. Heyndrick Jacobs, Mr. Cornelis Heyndricks, judges.

Faes Dircks, chair-maker, about thirty-one years of age, says that he is a native citizen of Gouda, and that on last Easter day he heard the pastor of Gouda preach; that those who go to the Lord’s table do not receive roasted, sodden or raw meat, but that they receive the roasted flesh of our Lord, roasted on Good Friday, on the tree of the cross. Hence, hearing this, he went out of the church, since he did not feel well at this, nor deem himself worthy to receive it, and did not go to the Lord’s table.

He says and confesses, that he does not consider the sacrament of the altar real flesh and blood, and this for the reason that there is but one God.

He also confesses, that about a year ago he was baptized at Rotterdam, and that he did not know the one that baptized him, but that the latter delivered an exhortation, saying that the Lord had said: “That all that believe and are baptized shall be saved.”

He further says, that the one who baptized him baptized him in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and that water was poured over his head out of a basin, and that there were present ten or twelve persons, one of whom was named Wiert Claess, of Gouda.

When asked whether Euwout the barber, and Dirck Jacobs, the shoemaker, or others from Gouda were not also present with him at Rotterdam, he says, “No,” but that Wiert Claess was present there, and that to his knowledge Wiert was not baptized at that time.

NOTE.--Here follow some more questions and answers, which are treated of in the following examination; hence we have omitted to place them here. In conclusion the secretary wrote: Thus done on the days and in the presence aforesaid, in the Thiendewegs Gate; I being present as secretary of Gouda.

JORIS JACOBS.

Second Examination.

The 19th of May, 1570, the Bailiff brought Faes Dircks, the second time to examination, in the presence of the pastor of Gouda, Mr Joost Boorgoos, Gijsbert Jan Maertenss, Jan Gerritts Pels, and Gerrit Huygen, burgomasters, Gerrit Gerrit Bouwenss, Dirck Andriess, Mr. Heyndrick Jacobs, Floris Gijsberts, and Mr. Cornelis Heyndricks, judges.

The aforementioned Faes Dircks, when he was asked whether he still persisted in and adhered to what he said and confessed on the 11th of this month, replied that he still adhered to it.

He says, that he believes in Almighty God, and in Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary. He also says, that infants cannot be regenerated, since they have no understanding to believe, and that water cannot save them.

When he was asked whether he did not believe that Christ Jesus is in the holy sacrament he says, “No, since there is not more than one God, and he is in heaven, and not herein the sacrament.” He says that he considers himself a sheep of Christ, and that he regards Christ as his Shepherd, and that he knows no other shepherd.

When he was asked who baptized him, he says that he does not know, and that he never saw the one that baptized him, either before or since, and that no one was present there from Gouda, except Wiert Claess, who brought him there, and that he [Faes Dircks] arrived in the place on an evening, and staid there the whole night and the following day, until the evening when he was baptized; this took place at Rotterdam, in a house, in a large garret.[318]

[318] Behold here the strait of the believers in those times, who to hear the word of God, occasionally had to spend whole days and nights in order to attend the meeting.

NOTE.--Here follow again some questions and answers, which are more fully explained in the third and last examination, and which we have omitted in order to avoid repetition. The secretary then, after stating the time when, the place where, and the persons in whose presence this took place, again subscribes himself, by the name of Joris Jacobs, secretary of Gouda.

Third examination, on the rack.

On the 27th of May, 1579, Johan Pieterss, Mayor of Gouda, in the name of Sir Cornelis Mylo, castellan and bailiff of the city of Gouda, brought Faes Dircks to the torture, in the presence of Gijsbert Jan Maertens, Gerritt Huyge Hapkooper, burgomasters; Gerrit Gerrit Bouwenss, Dirck Andriess, Dirck Janss Lonck, and Mr. Cornelis Heyndricks, judges.

Faes Dircks being asked whether he still adheres to the confession which he made on the 19th of this month, says that he still adheres to it.

When brought to the torture, and asked, in whose house he was baptized, he said he did not know, but subsequently understood that it took place at the house of a shoemaker named Michael, residing near the East Gate, at Rotterdam.

He says that when he was baptized, about eight or nine others were baptized with him, among whom were Dirck Jacobs, a shoemaker, and Jan Adrienss, a tanner, and that the wife of Michael, the shoemaker, and Wiert Claess, were present when the baptism took place, but that Wiert was not baptized.

When asked whether Euwout the barber, Jan Aertss, the weaver, and Jan de Bagijn were also present when he was baptized, he says “No,” and he says further that Dirck Jacobss and the tanner came early in the morning before daylight into the house where they were baptized.

He says that the one who baptized him had a strange language, and talked somewhat loud.

He says, that a woman named Maertjen Philips, residing in the Cingel, is of his faith, and also Willem Janss, cutler, Wiert Claess, and Jan Aertss, weaver.

When asked whether Euwout the barber was of the same persuasion and faith with him, he says that he does not know, and that he has not had any conversation with him in regard to matters of faith, but that he has been at his house. He says that he does not know whether Jan de Bagijn is also of the same faith as he that speaks or not.

Again: The above confession was then read to the aforesaid Faes Dircks, under the blue sky, without torture and iron bonds, and being asked whether he adhered to it, he replied that he did, and that he desired mercy, and not justice. Done in the presence of the full court.

JORIS JACOBS.

NOTE.--Since not only the three aforementioned examinations, but also the sentence of death of said friend of God, were sent us by the present secretary of the town of Gouda, we will add the latter here, as it reads in the original, that no one may in any wise doubt what has been related.

EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF CRIMINAL SENTENCES OF THE TOWN OF GOUDA.

Faes Dircks executed with fire.

Whereas Faes Dircks, native citizen of this town of Gouda, at present a prisoner, has confessed, without torture and iron bonds, under the blue sky, before my lords of the court, that about a little over a year ago he was rebaptized at Rotterdam, by a man whom he does not know; that he also for two years back has rejected communion with the holy church, our mother, and does not believe in the holy, worshipful sacrament of the altar, in which lies the salvation of man: without that said Faes Dircks has been willing to repent of this, to be instructed otherwise, but has added, that he would not listen to him that desired to instruct him, and to turn him from his error and heresy, all this being contrary to the written laws and decrees of His Royal Majesty published at different times in these countries; therefore the judges with the mature deliberation of the council, having examined and weighed all that is of importance in this case on the behalf and in the name of the King of Spain, as Count of Holland, Zealand and Friesland, our common lord and prince, have condemned the aforesaid Faes Dircks, at present a prisoner, and condemn him by these presents, to be brought to the scaffold without this town, and there to be executed with fire; and declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Royal Majesty; unless the aforesaid Faes Dircks depart publicly before the church, from his aforesaid heresy, and declare and confess that he has been led astray and deceived; in such case the judges reserve to themselves the punishment to be inflicted upon him for his crime, the same to be according as they shall find proper pursuant to the decrees of His Majesty aforesaid.[319]

[319] That is, in this case, he would have been executed with the sword, but as he remained steadfast, it did not come to this.

Done by Jan Claess Diert, and Simon Pieters, burgomasters, summoned, Gijsbert Jan Maertenss and Gerritt Huyges, burgomasters, Dirck Ottes van Slingerlandt, judge, summoned, Gerrit Gerrit Bouwenss, Dirck Andriess, Mr. Heyndrick Jacobs, Dirck Janss Lonck, Mr. Cornelis Heyndricks, judges, and announced to Dirck van Necq, judge, summoned. Published on the 30th of May, in the year 1570. Subscribed.

JORIS JACOBS, Secretary of Gouda, A. D. 1570.

ADRIAEN PIETERS AND BARBER JOOSTEN, IN THE YEAR 1570.

In the year 1570, there were imprisoned at Haarlem in Holland, a brother named Adriaen Pieters, and a sister named Barber Joosten, not on account of any crime or heresy, but only because they sought to follow Christ in the regeneration, for which they were envied by the servants of antichrist, who sought with many tyrannical means to draw them from Christ, and to make them follow their self-invented idolatry which militates against God. But these, as giants in the faith, valiantly resisted, through the grace of God, the snares of Satan. Hence, they were condemned and sentenced to death by the rulers of darkness. Adriaen Pieters was burnt, and Barber Joosten was drowned in great steadfastness, and thus they both remained faithful to the Lord their God unto death and hence out of grace, obtained the crown of eternal life.

MAERTEN KARETTIER, A. D. 1570.

Maerten Karettier of Busbeke, who also would rather suffer affliction with the children of God, than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and live in joy with the world, was apprehended for his faith at Rijssel and there made a good confession of it and evinced great steadfastness, for which reason he finally, as a valiant witness of God, had to taste death.

LIJNTGEN KEMELS, A. D. 1570.

In like manner, there was also apprehended, at Luyck, a sister named Lijntgen Kemels, who, after having made a good and steadfast confession of her faith, was burnt there, and thus went boldly, with her lamp burning, to meet her bridegroom, who also joyfully took her as a wise virgin in to his [marriage] feast.

JOOST VERKINDERT AND LAUWERENS ANDRIESS, BOTH PUT TO DEATH FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, AT ANTWERP, THE 13TH OF SEPTEMBER, A. D. 1570.

A letter of Joost Verkindert to his wife, mother, brother, and sister; written on the 7th of June, being the ninth day of his imprisonment.

Grace and mercy from God the heavenly Father, and the merits of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed us on the tree of the cross by the shedding of his precious blood, when we were yet his enemies, together with the consolation of the Holy Ghost, who comforts all afflicted hearts; all this I wish you together as a friendly and heartfelt greeting. I wholly commend myself to you, and also thank you all for the love shown me, and the exhortation and consolation in my present great tribulation, which I must now receive as permitted and foreordained by the Lord. For Christ says: “The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30. Nevertheless, in going out I was apprehensive of meeting the officer, which also happened, since the plan of meeting together at that time was not well-timed; however all things must have a cause. I must relate to you something about our apprehension, how the bailiff with some of his servants met me and Lauwerens and asked: “Whence do you come? and whither are you going?” Hearing this we were both greatly consternated, so that they instantly perceived what kind of people we were. They immediately bound us, and conducted us above; and while they were leading us they greatly cursed us and called us rogues. Having arrived at the prison, they forthwith examined Lauwerens alone. Afterwards I was also brought before them, and was asked, whether I had received another baptism besides the one received in my infancy. I asked him in return, what he had to say against me. He said: “You are rebaptized; your servant has told me.” I answered: “Let me alone; I shall to-morrow confess my faith before the Margrave.” But he was not satisfied with that, for he had a note-book to write in; and when he could obtain no other information from me, he became angry and said: “I shall make you say yes or no.” I said: “My lord, be satisfied for this time.” And when he saw that he could not obtain anything further from me, he made me sit in the Emperor’s chair, and thus they left me, I thinking that they were going for the executioner. While lying there alone I was troubled by various thoughts; moreover Satan greatly tormented me with wife and children, sustenance, and many other temptations, on account of which I heartily wept, calling to God for succor, and began to measure my life and conversation with the word of God, from the beginning of my Christian life up to this present day, and found no cause just enough to cease from all the severe labor which I had done. Though I have often transgressed the commandment of God, yet it was not done wantonly and I found grace with God.

The next day we were both brought into the tower where Lauwerens was tortured. They further asked me concerning my age and faith, all of which I freely confessed to them, and was not ashamed. They asked whether I had a wife. And when I had said “Yes,” they asked whether I had children. I said “Two.” They asked what their names were, and whether they were baptized. I answered: “They are not baptized, for I recognize no infant baptism; we also find in the Scriptures but one baptism upon faith, as Christ left it to us, and his apostles practiced.” When I pronounced the names of the children, they laughed, because the children had names without being christened. We further had many other words, which it would take too long to relate; hence I write this to you very briefly for I am so closely guarded, that no one can speak with me; nor have I ever conversed with Lauwerens alone. Hence, keep quiet about everything, for I am apprehensive of being tormented still much more, of which I am greatly afraid according to the flesh; for they have here so many tortures, chains for suspending, pulley, cords, and rack, on which I was tortured, as you know.

O friends, let all of you heartily entreat the Lord for me; and cause prayer to be made for me. Acts 12:5. O I pray the Lord with tears; yea, I water my couch with my tears before the Lord (Ps. 6:6), that he should make me worthy of him through his grace.

Herewith I commend you to the Lord and bid you all adieu.

Written in bonds by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

NOTE.--He was apprehended on the 30th of May, and put to death on the 13th of September of the same year.

ANOTHER EDIFYING LETTER AND EXHORTATION OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN IN HIS IMPRISONMENT, THE 20TH OF JUNE, TO THE CHURCH OF GOD AT A.

Grace, mercy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; together with the consolation of the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, to comfort all them that are in any tribulation and affliction for his holy name’s sake. To him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power and majesty, forever and ever. Amen. This we wish you all as a friendly greeting, my beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord. We prisoners for the testimony of our dear Lord Jesus Christ inform you, that it is still tolerably well with us according to the flesh; but as regards the spirit, we would that it were better, for we are compassed about with such a vile, evil flesh, which always lusts against the will of God, and shrinks much from suffering; however we must suffer and fight, if we are to overcome. For, dear brethren and sisters, the crown lies not at the beginning nor in the middle, but at the end; there the conflict lies; then the gold is tried by the fire of affliction, which no one knows better, than those who have been tried therein.

It is indeed true what the apostle says: “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb. 12:11.

Further, my dear friends, brethren and sisters, we pray you by the great love of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you be all of the same mind, and let there be no discord among you nor any strife about any matter; but let each seek to be wise and prudent in that which is good, and simple in what is evil, remembering the words of the apostle where he says: “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Yea, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes, that through his poverty he might make us rich, and purify unto himself a holy church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; which he hath purchased with his own blood, that they should be holy and without blame, and walk in love. Philip. 2:1–5; 1 Cor. 10;14; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Eph. 5:26,27; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:4.

This church has now for a time suffered much sorrow; may the complaint ascend to the merciful Father in heaven, concerning the misery and sadness that have come upon Zion. But the God of all grace be praised for his great mercy which he has yet shown the church at Antwerp, which continues still in good peace and unity (as I think); wherefore there is great joy and gladness there according to the spirit, but great distress according to the flesh. For the Lord tries his people with tribulation and distress, as Christ says: “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known my Father, nor me.” John 16:2,3. For if they had known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:8. And though the persecution is not so severe in some places, the Lord can nevertheless try men by other means, by strife, discord, strutting and boasting, reveling and banqueting, in short by carnal works, all of which are not according to our vocation. Not, dear friends, that I would here accuse any one; but out of brotherly love we exhort every one; for before God nothing can be hid, for he will bring to light all that is done in secret. 1 Cor. 4:5.

Therefore, my dear friends, let us not deceive the Lord; for his eyes are as a flame of fire, and he is a mighty, powerful and strong God, and sees everywhere in secret and openly; hence he may well be feared, for he has not spoken a single word in vain, as he says by the prophet, that the word which goeth forth out of his mouth does not return unto him void, but does accomplish all that he pleases. Rev. 1:14; Is. 55:11.

My affectionately beloved brethren and sisters in the Lord, receive this letter from your poor, weak brother in good part; for it has been written at the request of some brethren, if peradventure you might be comforted and refreshed a little by our simple epistle, for we have written these few lines out of cordial affection, and because we should exhort one another while it is called to-day; for we hope soon, by the grace of the Lord, here to put off our flesh. Heb. 3:13; 2 Pet. 1:14.

O friends, the way that leads into life is so strait and narrow; but the way that leads into hell is so broad and easy for the flesh. Truly indeed does the prophet Isaiah say, that hell has opened wide her mouth, and both princes and the common people descend into it, yea, they go to hell like sheep to the slaughter. Is. 5:14.

Hence, my dear friends, let us take diligent heed, that we may not have received the grace of God in vain; but let us constantly remember the days of our illumination, and how little we then were in our own eyes, when we humbled ourselves under the mighty hand of God, yielding up ourselves entirely, to serve the Lord in holiness and righteousness acceptable before him. Heb. 10:32; 1 Pet. 5:6; Luke 1:75. For we were then all like Saul when he was anointed king, who was of the least of the tribes of Israel and little in his own eyes. But when he became proud, the Lord rejected him. For the Lord said to Samuel: “Go and tell Saul to destroy Amalek from the earth, both man and beast.” But Saul followed his own judgment and spared the king, and the best of the oxen, and of the sheep, to sacrifice them to the Lord; whereby he transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and was disobedient to his voice, notwithstanding the Lord desired obedience and not sacrifice, 1 Sam. 15.

Behold, dear friends, for what a small matter Saul was rejected; hence let us take good heed, for he is still the same God. This is also the case with part of us, that we take too great liberty in our faith, in consequence of which we are rejected, and then do not know ourselves where the fault lies. Now a spirit of contention comes upon us, causing the pious to sigh and mourn: so that thereby division and schism are wrought in the church of God, which mostly occurs where Christians have great liberty. How much it is now like it was in the days of Israel; when they were in peace [from without], they waged war against one another, so that many thousands fell, when they fought against the Benjamites. Judg. 20. Hence, my dear brethren and sisters, let Christ Jesus be an example unto you, who has called us in peace. 1 Cor. 7:15. For the fruit of the Spirit is all manner of goodness, righteousness, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Eph. 5:9. And let us take good heed that we do not become like the church of Laodicea, which was neither cold nor hot, and thought she was rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing. But the Spirit answered her, saying: “I command thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev. 3:18. Hence, it is daily necessary to exhort one another with the word of the Lord, which is the true mirror and plumb-line by which to measure our life and conversation according to our weakness. I say according to our weak ability; for if God should enter into judgment with us, no one could stand before him. Ps. 143:2. Hence, no man may or can justify himself before God. But we must always remain debtors, remembering that we come short in many things. Matthew 6:12.

Let us therefore take diligent heed, and have our predecessors constantly before our eyes, namely, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the prophets, who were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and sought a country, a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker was God; and experienced tribulation and affliction, stripes and imprisonments; of whom the world was not worthy. Heb. 11. And Christ Jesus himself had not so much in the world as upon which to lay his blessed head, for he says: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Matt. 8:20. But he had to flee away everywhere (Matt. 2:13), even as his members must still do at the present day. For he who confesses Christ Jesus in power is a prey to every one, and is cursed, and banished as a rebel and heretic, yea, condemned to and exterminated with the severest death that they can devise. May the complaint ascend to God in high heaven, of the great and miserable blindness. They perpetually cry: “The decree must be observed,” not once considering whether it is right or wrong; though some nevertheless say that no one ought to be put to death for the faith’s sake.

Thus, my dear brethren and sisters, we must with Jeremiah commit our cause to the Lord, and pray for the blindness of our enemies, that the Lord would enlighten them, so that they may see whom they pierce, and how they fight against the Lamb, which shall yet overcome them. Jer. 11:20; John 19:37; Rev. 17:14.

Further, dear brethren and sisters, we pray you in general, that you remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body (Heb. 13:3); also, that we may joyfully put off our flesh here upon earth, to the praise of the Most High, and to the edification of our neighbor, that the name of the Lord may not be blasphemed through us. I, Joost Verkindert, Lauwerens Andriess, and Nelleken Jaspers greet you (who are in like faith with us) with the peace of the Lord, commending you to the crucified Jesus Christ, who may rule in your hearts. To him be praise, glory, dominion, power, and majesty forever and ever. Amen.

Receive our simple letter and exhortation in good part, for it has been written out of true brotherly love; though you are yourselves abundantly taught of God, and we ought rather to be taught and exhorted of you, for we find that we have too many defects and imperfections to exhort others. But, dear friends, we also admonish ourselves hereby, and pray the Lord without ceasing, that we might be found worthy of him, to meet him in the resurrection of the dead. 1 Thess. 4:17.

O friends, watch and pray; for ye know neither the day nor the hour. Matt. 25:13. Farewell.

Written in my bonds, by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

ANOTHER LETTER FROM JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN THE 26TH OF JUNE, FROM PRISON, TO HIS AFOREMENTIONED BROTHER, W.

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and the consolation of the Holy Ghost, who is the comforter of them that are in any tribulation and sorrow. To him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty forever and ever. Amen. This I wish you for a friendly and cordial greeting, my very dear and beloved brother W., with your dear wife J.

Know further, that I am still tolerably well, according to the flesh, and as regards the spirit, I hope through God’s great and unspeakable grace to finish this great and severe conflict with the help of the Most High--from whom we must expect help and comfort--to the praise of his holy name, to the edification of our neighbor, and to the salvation of our souls; which salvation cannot be bought or obtained with gold or silver, nor with anything that is in the world, but only by a living and active faith in Jesus Christ. Gal. 5:6. I also received a salutation from you, together with the things that were sent to us, which much exhorted us, and was a great consolation in our tribulation, so that we rejoiced, and praised and thanked God, that there are still such good-hearted brethren, who remember us poor, weak prisoners.

O dear brethren and sisters, always remember us in your prayers, that the Lord may strengthen us, so that we may put off our flesh with joy here upon earth; for it is sometimes much afraid of the gag and of being burnt alive, which is nevertheless very soon over. But when I think of the fire that shall burn and last forever, I thank the Lord, that he has made me worthy to confess his holy name among this evil and perverse generation, the eyes of whose hearts the god of this world has blinded. 2 Cor. 4:4.

O they shall yet greatly lament at the last day, that they have thus shed innocent blood, which has been so until now, even from the beginning, and shall continue, I presume, unto the end; for the holy Scriptures abundantly testify of the sufferings of the holy fathers, how they all were strangers and pilgrims here upon earth, and after much tribulation and affliction fell asleep in the Lord; for they firmly trusted that God’s promises should not fail them, as Christ also says: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35.

O dear brother, whom I love from the depth of my heart, cease not (because of my tribulation, which is great) to serve the Lord; for we have the truth, as the Holy Ghost bears me witness in my conscience. But great care has to be exercised; for Satan brings forth everything that can be imagined, and he makes it so great and grievous, that I often pray and call upon the Lord with tears, to help and deliver me. I also call to remembrance the days of my illumination (Heb. 10:32), how little I was then in my own eyes, and that neither flesh nor blood, nor any one under heaven, advised me to do this; but great terror and fear of eternal death and of the cruel fire of hell, which (as I read) should come upon all the world; for I found myself then like others in all manner of worldly lusts, yea, altogether earthly and carnally minded, upon whom the wrath of God comes. Also that there was no other means than this, by which to be saved; hence, I entirely committed myself to the Lord, and have also, with much sighing and mourning, traveled through the wilderness of this world, compassed about with an evil flesh, which has never yet advised me to anything good: yea, if I had not fled for refuge to the word of the Lord, I would have been utterly overthrown in the wilderness of this world, for flesh and blood greatly desired to be one with the world, since they always shrank from suffering. But when I with David went into the sanctuary of God, and there beheld the recompense of the world, and how soon they are cut off, and that they were blots, and not children; and also remembered that it is written: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm; yea, cursed be their going out and coming in.” Ps. 73:17; Deut. 32:5; Jer. 17:5; Deut. 28:19. However fine a captain one may choose, to prosper in the world, flesh and blood are nevertheless the ultimate object herein; for experience has taught me this; nor am I surprised at it, since men are now of no other material, than were the children of Israel. How often did the Lord sigh over them, and what great trouble did he have with them? Hence we may daily take good heed, and be up and doing, that no one may take our crown.

Therefore, my dear brethren and sisters, be not troubled, that Fra. Ha. Jo. Ta. have gone back to Egypt, which does not surprise me. But let it be an example unto you, that they were overthrown in the wilderness of this world (1 Cor. 10:5); and do you take better courage (as I trust you will), and constantly keep before your eyes the pious that were before us; for he that flees out of the conflict, does not get the crown, for there is but one victory comprised in the Scriptures by which we are to be crowned. 1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 2:5; Rev. 2:10.

O dear brethren and sisters, we now look through quite different eyes as to what salvation depends on than when we were out of bonds; for out of bonds I never could pray to God as I now sometimes do.

Further, my dear brother, I commend to you my wife, whom I love from the heart; desiring and requesting of you, that you will exercise Christian care over her, the more so, since she desires to remain a widow; for the holy Scripture commands us to visit the widows and orphans in their affliction. James 1:27. Hence, be the more diligent to aid her in everything wherein she may need your counsel, in order to gain a livelihood for herself and my children; so that she may not become despondent.

O my dear brethren, this I exhort you with tears, for if the Lord had not taken me from them, I could have provided for them myself according to my weakness; but now the Lord has ordered it otherwise with me, since he knows best what we need, and what is for our best. Hence, I will also leave them for the Lord’s sake; for, dear brother R., my wife has been with me, and we ate together a parting meal, and thus took final adieu from each other. Think for yourself, how bitter a parting it was, for I know that she also loves me from the heart.

Hence, if the Almighty Lord did not give strength and power, it would not be possible to endure and overcome it; but through him we can do all things. Philip. 4:13. Hence, I commit my cause now as before to the Lord, declaring that it is not on account of any crime, heaven and earth bear me witness herein, and God, who searches heart and reins, also knows very well my object in this matter.

Furthermore, dear W., if it were possible, and you should be in the city, I should from the heart like to converse orally with you, which (as it seems to me) could very easily be done, by giving a piece of money. But as you now live so far away, I fear it cannot well be done since it is so inconvenient for you; and in such case I hope to be patient herein; for we neither know nor hear when we are to die, nor have any priests assailed as yet; but a secular man came to see us once and assailed us. Neither have we been spoken to by the authorities, since we were tortured the first time; for as we hear, the Margrave has had a sore leg. Thus we do not know if we shall be tortured any more or not. They would indeed like to find out much from us, but I hope that the Most High will keep our lips; for though one were to tell them something, they are not satisfied with that, but want to know more and more.

Hence, my dear brother and sister in the Lord, we pray you, and all them that inquire after us, to remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Heb. 13:3. And pray the Lord heartily for us; we will also pray for you. Lauwerens, my fellow prisoner, and I, greet you all with the peace of the Lord, together with all our acquaintances in the Lord that are over there from here. Let all of you remain like minded, and the God of peace will be with you; and let there be no strife among you. Rom. 12:16; 15:5. Remember me, my dear brother and sister; I hope to await you under the altar, where all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes. Herewith I will commend you to the crucified Christ Jesus; may he strengthen our hearts and minds, and direct them into all that is acceptable before him. Herewith I bid you adieu. Adieu, my beloved brother and sister.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN ON THE 2ND OF JULY, FROM PRISON, TO HIS WIFE.

Grace, joy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ; together with the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from both the Father, and the Son, to comfort all them that are in any tribulation and affliction; may he be multiplied in you, to whom be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen. This I wish you as a cordial and friendly greeting, my dear, beloved wife and sister in the Lord, whom, with my children, I love from the depth of my heart, whose absence is to me such a great affliction in my bonds, that I many and many a time call upon the Lord with weeping eyes, to take from me that which is too heavy for me. But I remember the words of the apostle, where he says: Let my grace be sufficient for thee; I shall not leave thee, nor suffer thee to be tempted above that thou art able. 2 Cor. 12:9; 1 Cor. 10:13. For I know, that as long as man is in this life, he cannot be without conflict. Job 7:1.

Further, my beloved, I have heard that we may probably soon offer up our sacrifice; but we know not the time. Hence, I very often pray the Lord with tears, to take from me the snare of death, in order that I may offer up my soul with joy to the Lord. And I hope through the great and unspeakable grace of God, that my soul shall be received in safe hands, not through my merits, but out of grace and because of the hope, that Christ with his faithful mouth says: “Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake or the gospel’s, the same shall find it hereafter. Mark 8:35; Matt. 10:39. And: Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my heavenly Father, and before his holy angels; but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny in the glory of my heavenly Father. Matt. 10:32,33. Thus, my most beloved, there is no better advice for us than to cleave to the truth, so that we may hereafter receive the eternal crown from the hand of the Lord. Know, furthermore, that I am much surprised that my brother W. does not write a letter: for if he, or any one else should desire to write us something, you could easily send it to us, as you also do; for it can be done quietly. I also hear that mother is in H., with whom we would so gladly have spoken once more, since it is very easy to come to us here, if one will not begrudge the money. For though the lord does not come into the prison, he does not trouble himself with anything but simply that for which he comes. Furthermore, my beloved, J. de B. told me that he had been with you, and that you wept much on my account; wherefore, when I heard this, I was also filled with much sorrow. But, my chosen, comfort yourself in the Lord, and let us commit the matter to him, and pray for those who afflict us with this; for, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Rom. 12:19. O my beloved, I feel indeed, that as long as I live I must bear you in my heart, but nevertheless, God above all; for God is a jealous God (Ex. 20:2), and I also give him the praise for the kindness which he has shown me poor, weak servant, and still daily shows me.

Herewith I will commend you to the crucified Christ Jesus, and to the word of his grace. Lauwerens, my fellow prisoner, and I, greet you and all our acquaintances in the Lord very much with the peace of the Lord. Write to me occasionally, for a letter from you is more pleasing to me than gold and silver. If time should overtake us, I bid you adieu. Adieu, my beloved, and always persevere steadfastly. Written in my bonds, by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT, Your dear husband.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN FROM PRISON, ON THE 12TH OF JULY, TO HIS MOTHER.

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, together with the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son, to comfort all them that are in any tribulation and affliction for his holy namesake; may he be multiplied in you; unto whom be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen. This and all divine virtues, I wish you as a cordial and friendly greeting, my dear and beloved mother and sister in the Lord. I inform you by this that I am still tolerably well according to the time, and I trust that you are well, too. My mind also is still fixed to adhere to the eternal truth, and not to forsake the same, whether it mean life or death; for Peter says, that there is none other name under heaven, given to men, whereby to be saved, than only through the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12; 10:43. Therefore, my dear mother, it is necessary that we constantly, according to our weak ability, seek to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ; for John says: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 9.

Hence, my beloved, let us take heed that we may always be found to be of the little flock (Luke 12:32), that our sheaf may be gathered with all the elect saints of God into one barn for there is a great storm at hand. O that we were all worthy of the Lord; then we should indeed have been born at a blessed hour! O I pray the Lord most heartily for you, to keep you in his holy truth; so that we may hereafter be crowned with praise and honor. O my beloved, the bringing forth is so grievous to me; truly indeed does Christ say: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. And also, further: “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” vs. 20, 21. We have now also much sorrow, and the world is glad and joyful, and they do not once think how lamentably they are under the wrath of God, as long as they do not become converted, and show true repentance before the Lord. How applicable are the words of Isaiah: Hell hath opened wide her mouth, that there may go in both their princes and the common people: yea, they go to hell like sheep to the slaughter. Is. 5:14. May the complaint ascend to the Lord of heaven, that the false prophets so lamentably seduce the poor blind people (Ezek. 13:10), and, what is still more, so miserably oppress, persecute, rob, and make a prey for every one, those who seek to amend their lives. Truly indeed does Isaiah say: Holy and pious men are taken away, but no man layeth it to heart. Is. 57:1. Hence, my beloved, let us not fear men, who must perish like grass; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. 51:2,8. O dear mother, they forbid the reading of the holy Scriptures, while Christ says and exhorts us: “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they that testify of me.” John 5:39. For Paul also says: “Whatsoever things were written beforetime were written for our learning.” Rom. 15:4. O how hard will it go with those who so little esteem the Scriptures; they are those that call good evil, and evil good. Is. 5:20. O that they might once consider, how grievously they have incurred the wrath of God. I pray the Lord most heartily, to open the eyes of their understanding, that they may see against whom they are fighting, that it is against God and the Lamb; but the Lamb shall overcome them. Rev. 17:14. For Isaiah says: “Though a mother should forget her child, and forsake the son of her womb, whom she brought forth herself, yet will I not forsake thee.” Is. 49:15. Yea, the Lord further says through Zechariah: “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye.” Zech. 2:8. And again, Isaiah says: Fear not, O Jacob; when thou walkest through the fire, I will preserve thee; and when thou art in the water, it shall not harm thee: for I the Lord will keep thee. Is. 43:1,2. My beloved, his hand is not yet shortened; he is still the same God that delivered Israel out of the land of Egypt, and out of the hand of Pharaoh: who made the Red Sea a way so that the ransomed of the Lord passed over. He is also still the same God that fed them for forty years with bread from heaven, as is written: He fed them with bread from heaven, and with angel’s food. Psalm 78:25. He is also the same God that preserved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and delivered Daniel out of the den of lions, and many other holy fathers, concerning which an abundance is written in the Scriptures.

Therefore, my affectionately beloved sister in the Lord, my heart felt prompted once more to exhort you a little with the word of the Lord, though you are yourself abundantly taught of him; for Paul says: “Exhort one another [daily,] while it is called to-day” (Heb. 3:13), for the Lord cometh as a thief in the night, as you may well perceive in our case.

Further, dear mother, I thank you for the affectionate love which you have shown me at all times; yea, even before I obtained your dear daughter to wife you were always kind to me. I also thank you for the good intercourse which we have always had together in peace (the Lord be praised); for I have often rejoiced my soul with you. And now, my beloved, I commend to you my dear wife and her two little orphans, desiring that you will help exercise a Christian care over them, and do not spare the rod on the children. Associate with R. as much as is possible for you, lest she becomes despondent; for I know that I am dear to her heart, and that she will therefore sorrow for a long time. But exhort her to be patient in her tribulation; for every dispensation of God toward us I hope will turn to the salvation of us all; for the Lord knows what we need. My beloved, receive this brief exhortation in good part as a testament, since it is written with a humble heart and mind. Herewith I will commend you to the crucified, bleeding Christ Jesus, and to the word of his rich grace. Amen. Adieu, my dear mother, until another time, if we should here see each other no more. Lauwerens, my fellow prisoner, and I, greet you and our acquaintances in the Lord most cordially with the peace of the Lord.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN FROM PRISON, TO HIS WIFE, ON THE 23D OF JULY.

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood; together with the consolation and communion of the Holy Ghost; this I wish to be constantly multiplied in you, as a friendly greeting, my beloved wife and sister in the Lord, informing you that I am still tolerably well according to the flesh; and as regards the spirit, my mind is still fixed to adhere to the eternal truth by the help of the Most High, from whom we must expect comfort; for of ourselves we have not one good thought, but much rather an aversion; for the flesh loves life, since it is of the earth, and seeks nothing but what is earthly. But I hope in the goodness and long suffering of God, that he will not forsake me, but will keep me, according to his promise, as the apple of his eye. My beloved, we are now put to a very severe test; for at no previous time was there before us such an opportunity of being released as there is now. For there are some that got out, who would have been put to death three weeks ago; but as one of them was confined to his bed by sickness, their day of execution was postponed, and in the meantime the pardon helped them out. This pardon is also held out to us as seductively as possible; they promise to restore to us that of which we have been despoiled, and, to set us free, provided we should renounce our second baptism, which we have refused, preferring rather with old Eleazar, to die honorably, than to live with ignominy (2 Macc. 6:19): praying the almighty Father through Jesus Christ, to keep us in this purpose, and to preserve us from evil. I also cannot keep from you what happened to me. On Friday last, about evening, I was taken down alone, to speak with one of the bishop’s underlings; whom I saluted, and bade him good evening. He did the same to me, saying: “Good evening, Joos.” I remained standing with my head uncovered, and he also took off his cap, and made a long speech, and began greatly to praise the name of God, since he left his saints the promise to abide with his church unto the end. Thereupon I asked him, whether the apostles had put the church in the form and ordinances in which it now stood.

He replied: “Yes, that is as regards the faith; and as touching the ordinances, these the holy teachers instituted through counsels and decrees, on account of certain causes that arose, even as it also happened during the times of the apostles: that all the elders came together, because contention arose in the church.” Acts 15:6. Then I said to him, that the Lord had commanded the children of Israel very strictly neither to take from nor add to the law; and how severely Saul was punished by the Lord, because he, following his own mind, had spared the king of the Amalekites, and the best oxen and sheep, contrary to the command of God. Deut. 4:2; 12:32; 1 Sam. 15. Thereupon he said: “The Lord had commanded him, to kill them all, and not to spare them, and for this reason he was punished; but we neither take from nor add to the faith.” I returned that they were nothing but human plants. And Christ says: “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Matt. 15:13. Then he said, that plants were not doctrines; but they are trees, said he, which are called men. I rejoined, that Christ, Matt. 15, did not speak of trees. He said: “Yes.” I said: “No;” so that he finally said: “I will let you have it.” He then asked me, where I had learned the Scriptures, or by whom I had been instructed. I replied that I had taken my foundation from the Scriptures, as Christ teaches us, saying: “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39.) Hence, I searched, and asked the Lord for a right understanding and wisdom.” Then he said: “O we must be instructed.” I said: “We had also teachers.” He asked of whom our teachers had received understanding. I asked him in return where the prophets and apostles had received understanding. He answered, saying: “We are the ancient church, from the time of Christ to the apostles, who first instituted the holy church, and established it with many signs and miracles; and from the apostles to Timothy and Titus, and to all the holy teachers, and thence to all the holy popes and doctors even to the present day.” And we had many other words, concerning baptism, which it would take too long to relate; but we could not agree.

Finally, in parting, he showed me great friendliness, saying: “Dear Joos, you err, and do not understand the Scriptures.” I said: “My lord, even as you think that I err, so I think that you err.” He said: “Ask the Lord for understanding.” I replied, that I did so. Guilliame, the thief-catcher, was present throughout the whole conversation, and they were both very deeply moved on my account, as I well perceived; and he spoke much of the great pardon which had come from King Philip and the Pope together. In parting, I asked him, whether any one might be put to death on account of the faith. He answered, saying: “What else is the magistracy for?” I said: “For the protection of the good, and the punishment of the evil” (Rom. 13:3). He rejoined: “Peter killed Ananias and Sapphira” (Acts 5:5,9), and with this some persons came in, so that this remark received no reply.

Herewith I commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace. Greet W. B. and all his acquaintances in the Lord, in my name, with the peace of the Lord. Lauwerens, my fellow prisoner, also greets you with the peace of the Lord.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN FROM PRISON, ON THE 1OTH OF AUGUST, TO HIS BROTHER W. AND I. HIS WIFE.

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; together with the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son, to comfort all them that are in tribulation and sorrow for his holy names’ sake. To him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen.

This, and other divine virtues I wish you as a friendly greeting, my very dear beloved brother W., and your dear wife I.; informing you, that I am still tolerably well according to the time, for which reason I thank and praise the Lord for his great grace which he shows me, poor, weak and feeble servant; trusting that also you are well. Know further, that I learned in my bonds, that Fra. sent word to Jo. Ca., that he should look to his advantage, and that they would do likewise. Having received this message, Jo. immediately fell sick, insomuch that he was paralyzed in one side, and also lost his mind, so that he took in and received the idol, and, consequently, received the extreme unction, as a good son of the Romish church, and died the 9th of August, for a perpetual warning to us and all the godfearing. Oh! my soul was very sad when I heard it. It is just as Christ says: “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it.” Luke 17:33. Hence, dear brother and sister, let us take diligent heed, that we have not received the grace of God in vain; for now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Let us therefore not give offense to any one, but in all things approve ourselves as the ministers of God. 2 Cor. 6:1. Let every one strive to excel in good works; for whatsoever good a man has done, the same shall he receive twofold from the Lord. Hence let us always take heed to and follow the words of Christ, where he says: Fear not them that kill the body; but rather fear him, which after he hath killed hath power also to cast soul and body into hell. Luke 12:4,5. Let us stand in awe of and fear him, I say; for before him ungodliness cannot stand. But few there are that lay it to heart, even as it has also been from the beginning, as in the time of Noah, when there were but eight righteous persons. Again, in the time of Sodom, when there were only three who could stand before the Lord. Likewise the children of Israel, who were God’s peculiar people; the Lord did not spare them, but destroyed them in the wilderness, so that of six hundred thousand only two entered into the promised land, namely Joshua and Caleb. O my dear brother and sister, how many there are falling also in the wilderness of this world, though they were also delivered by the Red Sea, namely, by the blood of Christ. And this need not surprise us, since the Scriptures testify, that the present world was created for many men, but the future for few. For it is indeed just as the angel showed Esdras, namely, a city builded upon a broad field, full of all good things; the entrance thereof was narrow and steep, as if there were a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water, so that there was only one narrow path between them both, so small that but one man could go there at once; which city no man could or might receive for an inheritance, except he first pass that strait. 2 Esdras 7:6–9. O my brother, now we are on the narrow way, which is strait indeed, which no one knows better than he that is tried therein; for we are now under the test; the almighty God grant us his grace, that we may not be found to be hay, straw and stubble, but gold, silver and precious stones. 1 Cor. 3:12. O my dear friends, the flesh is indeed afraid; but when we consider and meditate on the beautiful promises which are promised to them that overcome and remain steadfast, they sweeten every pain; for now no chastening for the present, says Paul, seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:11.

Thus we must also rapidly bring our days of sorrow to an end; for we are sometimes as one that is in the throes of travail, and there are so many grievous woes come upon us, that we would almost seem to perish. Is. 26:17. Hence pray the Lord for us poor, weak prisoners; we do the same also for you and all the godfearing. Herewith I will commend you to the crucified Christ Jesus, and to the word of his grace, bidding herewith adieu to my dear brethren and sisters. Greet in my name, with the peace of the Lord, all my acquaintances, and also those not known by sight, but known before the Lord; and always remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them. And always persevere steadfastly, so that we may find one another under the altar. Amen.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN TO HIS DEAR WIFE, AND, GENERALLY, TO ALL BRETHREN AND SISTERS IN THE LORD; IN WHICH AN ACCOUNT IS GIVEN OF SEVERAL DISPUTATIONS HELD WITH THE BISHOP’S COMMISSARY CONCERNING THE FAITH.

Grace, joy and peace from God the heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath shined in our hearts, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; together with the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son, to comfort all them that are in tribulation and sorrow. To him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen.

This I wish you as a friendly greeting, my dear and beloved wife and sister in the Lord, together with all fellow believers of our most holy faith; informing you, that our mind is still fixed, to adhere to the eternal truth, and to the faith once delivered to the saints, trusting thereby to obtain eternal life, not through our own merits, but through pure grace, and also because of the hope, that Christ with his faithful mouth says: Whosoever loseth his life for my sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall find it hereafter in life eternal. Matt. 10:39; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.

O my dear brethren and sisters, let every one follow the advice of Christ, and search the Holy Scriptures; for they are they which testify of him. John 5:39. And Paul says: Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. Rom. 15:4. And let us not fear men, which must perish like grass; but let us fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power also to cast soul and body into hell; fear him. Is. 51:12; Luke 12:5. For heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall abide forever. Matt. 5:18.

Know further, that on the 17th of August we were both called down to speak with the bishop’s commissary; and having come down we courteously greeted him, and bade him good evening. He did likewise, asking: “Joos, to what conclusion have you come?” I replied: “I pray the Lord night and day for my greatest salvation, and the more I pray, the greater my assurance becomes that I have the truth.” He said, that it was true I was seeking my salvation, but ignorantly, like the Jews, who wanted to be justified through the law. And, with folded hands, he made a long speech and highly extolled and thanked the name of God, and of Jesus Christ, that he had done all things so well, and had given the holy church so many good ordinances, and promised to abide with it even unto the end of the world. Then Lauwerens asked, where his church suffered persecution. He answered: “That was seen three years ago, when some of our people were killed by the Protestants.” I said: “My lord, if the authorities did not protect your church with the sword, it would soon come to nought, for it has no strength.” He said, that it was of God, and had continued from the time of the apostles to Timothy and Titus, and thence to all the holy teachers even to the present day. I asked, whether the apostles had so observed or instituted them [the ordinances] as they were now used by them. “Yes,” said he, “as regards the faith.” I said, that they were far from the right way; for I had previously shown him, that their ordinances were but commandments of men; and Christ says: “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. [Let them alone:] they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matt. 15:13,14. I showed him, that Israel was forbidden to follow their own opinions, but were to observe only what the Lord had commanded; and I told him how severely Saul was punished by the Lord, because he, following his own mind, had spared the king of the Amalekites, and the best of the oxen and sheep. He answered, that Saul did this contrary to the command of the Lord, but they did not; for it was all instituted on account of certain causes that had arisen in the church: even as in the time of the apostles; when there were some that contended, a council was held. Also, that Paul commanded Titus, to set in order the things which he had left uncompleted (Tit. 1:5); and other words. Thereupon I told him of the pious king Josiah: that he did not regard the ancient customs and ceremonies of his forefathers, but that he destroyed all that had been instituted contrary to the law, and commanded the law to be observed aright. 2 Kings 23. To this he had but little to say. I also asked him, saying: “My lord, I am much surprised, that you do not banish us, as they do in Germany the Eastern country,[320] and England.” He said: “Whither would you go? for whithersoever you go there you corrupt and seduce the people.” I told him, that faith was the gift of God, and also, that not all men had it. Eph. 2:8. He said: “You did have the faith, but now you have adopted another”; and he added a simile: that we were like soldiers that had run away from their lord without a passport, who were nowhere free. I asked him, whether infant baptism was a taking in into his church. He said: “Yes.” I asked again, why they did not go to Turkey to take in children. He answered: “Nay; this does not belong to them, for they are a rejected people.” I further asked him, by what scriptures they might put us to death; which he assayed to show with the law; but I said, that we were under the law of grace, namely, under the Gospel; and Christ says of the tares, that they should be suffered to grow up with the wheat until the harvest. Matt. 13:30. “He said we have other scriptures, that the magistracy has not received the sword in vain” (Rom. 13:4). I showed him, that the sword was given to the magistracy for the punishment of the evil, and the protection of the good; moreover [I said] I have not been disobedient to the magistracy, but have obeyed it in all according to the power which it has received from God. And when I had asked him, whether he had no other scriptures, he said; “Peter slew Ananias and Sapphira.” I said: “With what, and why?” He replied: “Because they lied.” “That is true,” I said; “for they lied to the Holy Ghost, and had kept back and said nothing about part of the price of the land which they had sold.” He said: “Nevertheless, he slew them with the sword of his mouth.” And though I told him it was done for evil doing, and without the sword, it was of no avail, he would therewith prove his point that we might be put to death, and also added the words of Paul: “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” Gal. 5:12. I replied, that Paul did not mean such cutting off as they were now doing. He said: “Paul then did not yet have the magistracy on his side.”

[320] Probably Austria, or the country bordering on the Baltic.--Tr.

We then also spoke of infant baptism, which he would prove to be a command of Christ, namely, because Christ says: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5. In this passage he would also include the children, namely, in the expression, a man.[321] I then made him read that chapter, in a Bible which was there, namely: “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” I then asked him, whether he knew and understood what it was to be born from above; and also said, that a child could not be born from above; but that Christ thereby meant persons that had understanding. “Yes,” said he, “and infants too,” and fell back on his old proposition, and held fast to it, namely:“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,” etc. And he also quoted Paul and Titus, that Christ cleansed his church with the washing of water by the word. Eph. 5:26. Thereupon I answered that Paul thereby did not mean children. He would also establish it with John’s epistle, namely, that there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one; and three witnesses on earth: the spirit, the water, and the blood: and these three are one (1 John 5:7,8); to which he added, that infants must be cleansed from original sin through baptism. I told him, that infants are cleansed from their original sin through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Paul says: Even as by the unrighteousness of one man death entered into the world, so grace much more abounded by Christ Jesus; and as in Adam all die, even so in Christ are all made alive again. Rom. 5:17; 1 Cor. 15:22. Also, that the prophet says, that the child shall not bear the iniquity of its father. Ezek. 18:20. He said: It is true, this grace has come upon all men: but that children must nevertheless be baptized, if they were to be saved; and he made a great many words which had a fair semblance. Then I asked him, whether infants were saved by the water. He replied: “When they are baptized with water, they receive the Holy Ghost,” and are then redeemed by the blood of Christ; which he established with the three witnesses on earth, namely, the spirit, the water, and the blood; and upon this he strenuously insisted. I told him, that he rejected and disesteemed with his infant baptism the blood of Christ, with which he was not well satisfied. I then asked him, whether baptism was not a burial of sin. He replied: “Yes.” I said, again, that infants had not committed sin, and that they were simple and innocent. But it was all of no avail; children must be baptized, for this had been practiced from the time of the apostles. I asked him again, whether the apostles had baptized children. He answered, that they had baptized entire households, among which there might probably also have been infants. I said, that the households had addicted themselves to the ministry (1 Cor. 16:15), which children could not do, but it is necessary to minister to them; nevertheless he adhered to what he had said. I asked him, if there were a woman that had two infants, and one of them were baptized, and the other died without baptism, what he held in regard to this. He answered: “The baptized infant would be saved, and the unbaptized one not.” I said, that the blood of Christ had more efficacy than their baptism, and that they also baptized those to whom it did not belong; for Christ has commanded to baptize believers, and not infants, and has also commanded the baptized to keep his commandments. I also said that they were dear with baptism, but that it had no efficacy. He therefore made many words, for he wanted to establish infant baptism also with circumcision. But I proved to him, that the figure was not applicable thereto: also, that only the male children, and not the female, were circumcised. But it was all of no avail, it had to be a figure of baptism, and as the uncircumcised soul had to be cut off from the people of Israel, he said, so should also the unbaptized be damned; which I contradicted him with divers Scriptures. He said: “Joos, it seems to me, that you understand it better than you pretend; for I have certainly proved to you plainly enough that infants must be baptized.” I answered him and said: “My lord, think not that I would contradict you against my mind and understanding, when I am in such severe confinement.” And thus we had to be poor and miserable men; and we had many other words together regarding baptism; but we could not agree on this point. When he had waited a little with speaking, he said: “Joos, you have suffered yourself to be lamentably deceived.” I told him, that I had the truth, nor had I suffered myself to be deceived; asking him, whether it was not his opinion, that we should from this fire go into the eternal. “O,” said he, “that is beyond a doubt.” “I have a better hope,” said I, “and should fain see also you come to a better knowledge.” When he heard this, he ceased a little, as though he were startled and terrified, and he pitied us greatly, and I saw that he meant it from the heart.

[321] Any one. Dutch version.

We further had some words concerning the incarnation of Christ, who he said had assumed flesh and blood from Mary. I told him, that he should prove it to me. He quoted Rom. 1:3, that he was David’s son according to the flesh. I said: “I confess this too.” He then quoted Paul to the Hebrews, where he says: “He taketh not on angels, but he taketh on the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16. He also quoted Matt. 1, of the generation. Thereupon I asked him, whether he did not believe that the Word became flesh. He replied, “Yes, for Christ assumed flesh and blood from Mary.” I quoted to him Luke 1, that the angel came to Mary, saluted her and said, that she should conceive in her womb, and bring forth a son, who should be called Jesus, and the Son of the Highest. Mary answered and said to the angel: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” The angel answered and said to 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.” I added also Matt. 1, that the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” I also quoted Paul, where he says: “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” And that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 15:47,50. But no matter what I proved to him, he persisted that Christ must be of the nature of Mary, so that after many other words which we had together, concerning the incarnation of Christ, we could not agree. He then took up the Supper, saying that it was true flesh and blood, which he would establish with the words of Christ, where he says: “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.” John 6:53,54. I replied to him, that Christ did not speak these words with reference to the Supper. He rejoined: “Is it not written: Take, eat; this is my body?” (Matt. 26:26). I replied, that it signified his body: for it is also written: I am the true vine (John 15:1) though he was not a natural vine. Moreover, Paul states it clearly, where he says: “I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come,” (mark, till he come). 1 Corinthians 11:23–26. Hence, I said, he is not present there bodily, as you say, my lord. I also told him of the paschal lamb, proving to him, that it was a true figure of the Supper; but we could agree in no point. The subject of monasteries was also brought up all of which I called sects, and asked him, whether God’s children must not all be spiritual. He answered: “Yes.” I asked again, why they were not all of one kind since there were many and various monasteries manifestly differing from one another in caps and ceremonies. He answered and said that the Holy Ghost wrought manifold gifts, with which he wanted to establish the monasteries. I also asked him whether he had not read the prophet Baruch. “Very likely,” he said. Then I told him, how the prophet there warns Israel that when they should be in Babylon, and should there see them bear idols upon their shoulders, and much people running before and behind, they should think in their hearts: “O Lord, thou alone art to be worshiped.” Baruch 6:3. And I asked him, whether the same ought not to be done on Sunday. He answered and said: “That is to be only an image.” I said, that the image makers are cursed. Ex. 20:4; Deut. 27:15. He said: “They are the books of the simple,” and maintained, that the images were like letters, and would also prove that images might be made, and this with the cherubim that were on the ark. We also had many words together concerning the worshiping of the saints; but we could not agree. I have been before him three different times. O dear brethren and sisters, let each persevere steadfastly: and heartily entreat the Lord for us; that we may be able to stand against all the gates of hell; for our conflict is not little, for we are in the midst of our enemies. Farewell all of you, and adieu till a better time.

Written in my bonds, by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT.

Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

* * * * *

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matt. 5:8.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT WRITTEN IN BONDS TO HIS WIFE ON THE 20TH OF AUGUST.

The unspeakable grace of God the Father, the love of his beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the comfort; joy and gladness of the Holy Ghost; this I wish you for a cordial and friendly greeting, my very dear and beloved wife and sister in the Lord. I inform you that I am still tolerably well according to the time, for which reason I thank and praise the Lord for his great grace, trusting to hear the same from you.

Know further, that in the letters mentioning the disputations with the priest not all the words are contained which we had together, for he also quoted: “He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death” (Jas. 5:20); telling us, that if we would be converted, we should be set free, and suffered to go where we pleased. He spoke with an angelic mien frequently with folded hands, adding virtually, that he would stand in our stead at the judgment of God and that we had not the truth; so that it seems to me, that if a man were not firmly built upon Christ, he would have to perish. But the almighty God be praised and thanked, that all his sharp arrows which he shot did not harm or injure me, for God was with me. He also said, that not many rich followed Christ, but many poor and plain people; but by the apostles many signs and miracles were wrought, whereby, he said, the rich, and also kings and princes came to the faith, and since he is very profuse in words, he quoted many other fragmentary passages of Scripture, and gives himself very plain. In short, he made a fair display, but did not sell anything. If we however, had sought the temporal life, he indeed represented it to us in very fair colors; but the almighty God be praised and thanked for his great grace, for my mind is still determined at this day, rather to die honorably than to live ignominiously. For there is none other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved except only the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12); for he alone is the way and entrance to life eternal. O my beloved, this way has no by-paths, but those that depart from it go to death. Flesh and blood would indeed live still longer, but the spirit would rather be unfettered and present with Christ (2 Cor. 5:8); for as long as we live we are in many dangers; for in a short time we may lose that for which we have long labored.

Therefore, we may indeed constantly cry to God, to preserve us poor pilgrims in this dismal wilderness, where serpents spew fire, yea, where wolves run swiftly until evening to shed innocent blood; but, my beloved, he that is with us is much mightier than he that is with the world; for God is with us, but with the world, an arm of flesh. O that we might be found one of those of whom John writes, saying: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Rev. 7:14–17. And also: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” And again: “These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” 14:4. Also: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” 3:10.

O my beloved, if we were there, the journey would have been safely accomplished. Nevertheless, I have a living hope; for God does not desire our death. Hence, let us always be bold, and comfort ourselves with the words of Christ, where he says: “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.” John 16:2,3. “For if they had known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Cor. 2:8. Let us take for an example all the holy fathers, who met with all sorts of tribulation and affliction, and proved themselves a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish a savor unto death. 2 Cor. 2:15,16. For the Lord has appointed a day in which he will render to every man according to his works (Ps. 62:12); and it seems to me, that the day of the Lord is at hand; hence let us possess our souls in patience, so that we may be able to stand before him in that day. Luke 21:19.

Herewith I will commend you, my beloved, to the crucified, bleeding Christ Jesus, and to the rich word of his grace. Lauwerens, my fellow-prisoner, and I, greet you and all our acquaintances very cordially with the peace of the Lord. Do the best with my little orphans. By me,

JOOST VERKINDERT.

Your dear husband, and unworthy prisoner in the Lord. Written in my bonds, on the 20th of August.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN IN HIS BONDS, TO HIS WIFE, ON THE 2ND OF SEPTEMBER.

The grace and peace of God the heavenly Father, the love of his beloved Son, together with the comfort joy, and gladness of the Holy Ghost, this I wish you as a friendly greeting, my very dear and beloved wife and sister in the Lord. Be pleased to know, that I am still tolerably well according to the time, for which I thank and praise the Lord for his great goodness and grace, trusting to hear the same from you. Know further, that I received your letter, and thank you for your good exhortation and Christian solicitude for me in these my bonds. O my beloved, this indeed may truly be called the narrow way, for we are assailed from every side, namely, from flesh and blood; and Satan rests not day or night, by some means to bring us into error or unbelief; for the enemies of the cross of Christ approach us very subtilly. Now they have compassion for us, saying: “I will be innocent of your blood.” Then they say: “If you die in your belief, you must from this fire go into the eternal.” Thereupon I replied to him, that we had a better hope, and were not as those that beat the air. 1 Cor. 9:26. He said that we were possessed of the devil, and were so firmly bound or held of him, that we would not let ourselves be moved. We replied that the Jews also said to Christ, that he had a devil. John 7:20; 10:20. I wonder, said he, if it would do some good to exorcise you; and other blasphemous words. We told him to go and seek souls, and to reprove harlots and rogues, drunkards, and the ungodliness of the people, since to such the kingdom of heaven is denied. He answered, that he exhorted them to repentance. Lauwerens told him, that all their things and ceremonies were nothing but hypocrisy and abomination, and that they sold masses to the people by the dozen. He replied to Lauwerens, saying: “If you were a wise man, I should take this ill of you.” I asked him, where there was anything written [in the Bible] concerning his mass. He said it was a sacrifice, and made many words with regard to this matter, so that it was astonishing where he got it all; much of it had a fair semblance. Among other things he said, that he would shed his blood for us, to gain our souls. I told him, that he would nevertheless be loth to die for us, and set us free. He said that we were too pernicious to live. I said: “My lord, I am much surprised (since you say, that if we die in this belief we are damned) that you will not rather suffer us to live; for as long as a man lives, he has time for amendment and repentance.” But to this he had little inclination, saying, that we were of the worst persuasion on the earth; for the Calvinists and Martinists, he said, were more easily moved than we; so that we could not agree, but he said, that he daily prayed for us. O, said he, I remembered you this very day in my mass. We said, that we also prayed the Lord day and night for our greatest salvation. He said, that we sought salvation, but ignorantly. He would also have the flesh and blood of Christ really present in the bread or Supper. In regard to this we made but few words, but I said to him: “Even as Israel made a golden calf, which served as an idol, to whom they said, that these were their gods which had delivered them out of Egypt; so it is also with your people; for they say: This is our god which has redeemed us on the tree of the cross. He said, that if he were not present in the bread, it would be idolatry; but when the priest has pronounced the words over it, he comes sacramentally into it, and hence it is also not idolatry. And when he could not move us with Scriptures, he held out to us release and pardon, to lure us, so that my conflict thereby becomes the more grievous to me; yet I hope that the Lord will help us to triumph, for without the help of God it were impossible to stand.

Hence, my beloved, help me heartily to entreat the Lord, that he will preserve me through his great goodness and long-suffering as the apple of his eye, that I may not be seduced through philosophy or carnal liberty, nor depart from my God, of which I have a great terror; but that he will comfort and strengthen me in my good purpose, to the praise of his holy name, and to the salvation of my soul.

Herewith I will commend you to the crucified, bleeding Christ Jesus, and to the rich word of his grace; who is faithful in what he has promised. I greet you, my beloved, with the kiss of peace; and Lauwerens and I also greet all our acquaintances very cordially with the peace of the Lord. Amen.

Written in my bonds, by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT, Unworthy prisoner in the Lord.

ANOTHER LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN TO HIS BROTHERS, MICHIEL AND PLEUN, ON THE 7TH OF SEPTEMBER, THE 100TH DAY OF HIS IMPRISONMENT.

May God the Father, and our dear Lord Jesus Christ, give you a heart and mind, to walk in his holy truth all the days of your life, to the salvation of your poor, naked souls, that they may be saved, when the Lord shall visit them at the last day, when we shall all be placed before the judgment seat of Christ, where every one shall receive reward according to his deeds, whether they be good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10. To God the Father be praise and honor through Jesus Christ; may he give us his Holy Spirit for a Comforter in all our tribulation, in which we now are, for Christ and the gospel’s sake. To the Lord be praise, honor and thanks forever and ever. Amen.

This I wish you, my dear and beloved brothers, Michiel and Pleun, as a heartfelt and friendly greeting, from the inmost of my soul. Be pleased to know, that I am still tolerably well according to the flesh; and as regards the Spirit, my mind is still fixed, to adhere to the eternal truth with the help of the Most High, to whom I must look for comfort and help; for of myself I have not one good thought but only aversion; for the flesh always shrinks from suffering. Nevertheless, my dear brothers, there must be suffering, either here or hereafter, for Christ says, that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent must take it by force. Matt. 11:12. O dear brothers, I pray you from the heart, that you will take heed to yourselves, to obey the voice of the Lord, so that you may not be found to be of those who had buried their talent in the earth, and of those who want to put a new piece upon an old garment, and of those who put new wine into old bottles. Matt. 25:18; Luke 5:36,37. O my dear brothers, if you do not take heed to yourselves, God will require a strict account of you, for Christ says: All those who will not have me to reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before mine eyes, and cast them into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Luke 19:27; 13:25. And further, Luke 12:47, Christ says: That servant which knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. O my dear brothers, accept this my warning in good part, for it is done out of pure brotherly love, and this because I so well know, that without Christ and without his word there is no salvation. For I also, for a number of years knew better than I did, the Lord forgive me; and if I could have served the world and the Lord, I would not be in bonds. O dear brothers, flesh and blood did not bring me to this, but the word of the Lord, which is sharper than any two-edged sword. For no man can serve two masters at the same time; he must despise the one, and hold to the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon together. Matt. 6:24. And O, it (the word) also calls to the children of Israel and says: “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; if Baal, then follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21. O dear brothers, these and other Scriptures compelled me to renounce my own will, in order to escape the great deluge and punishment that shall come upon those who have not obeyed the Gospel of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. 2 Thess. 1:8,9.

O dear brothers, be afraid of that day which shall burn as an oven, and when all the proud despisers, and all the wicked shall be as stubble; but they that have kept the laws of their God shall then grow up as calves of the stall, and they shall go in and out, and tread down the wicked like ashes under their feet. Mal. 4:1. O dear brothers, that we might all be found worthy to hear the pleasant voice of Christ saying: “Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of my Father, prepared for you from the foundation of the world--O then we should have indeed been born at a blessed hour! For there are so few that seek to follow the Lord with a whole and true heart, for every one would excuse himself; the one says: I have bought five yoke of oxen; the second: I have married a wife; the third: I have bought a piece of ground; I pray thee, have me excused. Luke 14:18. O dear brothers, before the Lord no excuse shall be able to stand; hence let us take heed, if we have heard his voice, that our hearts do not become hardened or stony; for we have many examples in the holy Scriptures, that the ungodly cannot stand before the Lord. For we read, how God punished the world with the deluge, because of their sins; but he saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, and brought in the flood upon the world, of the ungodly; and overthrew and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins; but preserved just Lot with his two daughters, who were vexed with their improper and unchaste conversation. 2 Pet. 2:5. Thus, dear brothers, though the Lord does not outwardly comfort[322] you, as, he then did, yet he shall not let sin go unpunished, for the Lord is a righteous judge, who will judge the heart and thoughts. O yes, man shall have to give account of every idle word that he has spoken. Matt. 12:36. O dear beloved brothers, go out from this spiritual Egypt, from the power of the hellish Pharaoh, and from this spiritual Sodom, where they crucified our Lord, and from this spiritual Babylon; so that you may live in Zion, and there behold the beautiful worship of God; for I warn you in the name of the Lord, and my conscience, that you will find it at the last day, as I have here written you.

[322] Perhaps a typographical error, and should read, punish.--TR.

O dear brothers, Michiel and Pleun, I also admonish myself hereby, for if I persevere not in this conflict, all that I have suffered is in vain, for the unsaved shall be written in the earth. Jer. 17:13. O so many times I feel a terror of apostatizing, for I am so certain and assured that I am on the right way. For, dear brothers, you well know, that no one can come into this world except he be born; so no one can enter into the future world, except he be born again, even as Peter clearly testifies, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth, forever. 1 Peter 1:23. O brothers, dear brothers, happy is he that is thus born: for such regenerated persons use the true baptism and the true Supper; they also keep aloof from all false doctrines, and also use the true excommunication and separation, for the maintenance of the purity of the church, or it would soon become a Babylon.

Dear brothers, I have been before a priest four different times, and we can agree in nothing. O he uses such diligence to bring us to his church; and because we will not buy, or cannot accept with a good conscience, his merchandise, therefore he says that we have the devil in us, and that we are damned if we thus die in our belief. However, I am not terrified by his judgment, but I pray the Lord, to open the eyes of their understanding, that they may see against whom they are contending, that it is not against men, but against God and the Lamb; for Christ says. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, [but I have chosen you out of the world,] therefore the world hateth you. John 15:19. And Christ further says: If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household. Matt. 10:25. O how truly it may be said at this time, that our life is accounted madness, our going out destruction and our honor shame. Wis. 5:4; 3:3. O how are the words of Christ fulfilled where he says: “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. John 16:2,3. And also Paul says: If they had known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2:8. O my dear brothers, remove your feet from the paths of the ungodly, for they go to hell, like sheep to the slaughter. Proverbs 4:14. And look not to the multitude, for Esdras writes: Even as there is found much earth of which to make earthen vessels, but little to make golden ones, so are the ungodly to the righteous. 2 Esd. 8:2. And again: Like as a flood is to a drop, so are the ungodly to the righteous. 9:16. And he further says: What profit is it to man that there is promised a city full of all good things, if he cannot enter into it? or that there is promised an immortal life, whereas we do the works that bring death? Hence we may well say with Esdras: “O Adam, Adam! what hast thou done! for when thou didst fall, thou didst not fall alone, but also we all that come of thee.” 7:48. O my dear brothers, strive to become true sheep of Christ’s flock, and true branches of the vine Christ, and seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God; set your affections on things above not on things on the earth; and mortify your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. Col. 3:1,2,5,6. Thus, my dear brothers, if you desire the truth, and to escape the punishment to come, seek to order your life according to the Gospel, and deny yourselves; for Christ says in the Gospel: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the Gospel’s shall save it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? But whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Matt. 16:24–26; Mark 8:38.

O my dear brothers, consider well these Scriptures, and meditate on them, for Christ Jesus has brought them down here from high heaven, and lived and taught them, and sealed them with his blood, and became poor for our sakes, that through his poverty he might make us rich. O consider once, how despised Christ was for our sakes. So that the prophet Isaiah laments and says, that there was no beauty in him, which might have pleased us. Is. 53:2. Yea, he [the Psalmist] laments, that he was a worm, and no man. Ps. 22:6. O dear brothers, let us take an example from him, how admirably he went before us; for all those who do not accept Christ are not redeemed by him; for Christ also says in the Gospel: “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? for whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.[323] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:24–27. And Christ further says, of the sower, Matt. 13, that some seed fell by the wayside, some upon stony places, some among thorns, and some into good ground, and this brought forth fruit. O ponder well this Scripture, in how many a one the deceitful riches suppress the word of God, so that it does not bring forth fruit. Thus, my dear beloved brothers, this is written in my bonds for a perpetual warning to you. O that God would grant grace, that his word might lie in your heart, as it does in mine; then you should soon bid the world farewell. Yet, my flesh sometimes wonderfully shrinks back from suffering, so that at times I am as fearful as one that is in the throes of travail. Nevertheless, Christ Jesus also shrank from suffering. Luke 22.

[323] Corner-stone, the original has it.

Herewith I will commend you to the crucified Christ Jesus, and to the abundant word of his grace, as a perpetual adieu upon earth if we should here see one another no more; for my mind is still fixed this day, to seal this letter with my blood, and, with old Eleazar, rather to die honorably than to live stained with ignominy. And, Michiel, I also greet your wife, sister Tanneken, very cordially with a perpetual adieu. My brothers always do good, and praise and thank the Lord, that you have a brother who is worthy to lay down his life for Christ and the Gospel’s sake. Written to you in tears, for nature’s sake. Assist Christian with the children, wherever it is possible for you; and keep this letter as a testament. By me, your dear brother,

JOOST VERKINDERT.

THE LAST LETTER OF JOOST VERKINDERT, WRITTEN TO HIS WIFE AFTER HE HAD RECEIVED HIS SENTENCE, AND WAS BROUGHT TO THE COMMON PRISON, IT BEING ON THE 12TH OF SEPTEMBER.

God, who is the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God through Christ Jesus, to him be praise, honor, glory, dominion, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen.

This I wish you as a cordial and friendly greeting, my dear and beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a perpetual adieu upon earth; informing you, that I am still tolerably well according to the time, for which I thank and praise the almighty Father, my and your God, that he has chosen me hereto.

Hence, my most beloved, do not sorrow too much on my account, but praise and thank the Lord, that you have had a husband that is counted worthy to lay down his life for the truth.

O my beloved, I pray and exhort you once more, that you will keep yourself in quietness and in the fear of God, that we may together receive the beautiful promises, where neither cold, nor heat, nor hunger, nor thirst shall be any more, but such joy, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the great joy and gladness which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9.

O my beloved, this befell me, when we least expected it; but the almighty God be praised and thanked through Christ Jesus, that he still thus aids and succors me in my distress.

Herewith I commend you and my two little children to Christ Jesus, whom I commend to you for a husband.

O my beloved, never forsake this husband and bridegroom, for he is the Father of the widows and orphans. Ps. 68:6. Adieu, my most beloved, with mother and all our friends, whom I commend upon earth to the crucified, bleeding Christ Jesus. Adieu, adieu all together. Subscribed by me,

JOOST VERKINDERT.

Your dear husband, written in my bonds.

A LETTER FROM LAUWERENS ANDRIESS, THE FELLOW-PRISONER OF JOOST VERKINDERT; SENT THE 9TH OF SEPTEMBER, TO R., THE WIFE OF SAID JOOST.

The eternal, abundant and rich grace and mercy of God the heavenly Father, and the pure love, joy and peace of the Son, together with the comfort of the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son, to comfort those that are in any tribulation; this I wish you, my dear and God-beloved sister in the Lord, as a friendly greeting, to strengthen you in your great tribulation, in which you now also are for the Lord’s holy name and the Gospel’s sake, which Gospel he left us, and sealed it with his precious blood, that he might thereby cleanse and wash us from all our uncleanness, and present us unto himself holy and blameless, without spot or wrinkle, yea, that he might thereby prepare unto himself a holy people zealous of good works. Eph. 5:26,27; Tit. 2:14. To him be praise, thanks, glory, honor, power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen.

After all proper greetings, my dear and beloved sister in the Lord, whom I love from the depth of my heart, because of our regeneration, I inform you, that I and your dear husband are still tolerably well according to the flesh; and as regards the spirit, it is still the purpose of us both, to adhere to the eternal truth by the great help of the Lord, without whom we can do nothing, and from whom we must also constantly look for help and comfort. And he, according to his promise, does not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but does with the temptation also make a way to escape. 1 Cor. 10:13. Yea, he is a faithful helper in distress, who never yet forsook his own that continued in his fear, and firmly trusted in his word; for he gives unto every one that asks him, and will not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, that we should be to the praise of his glory. Matt. 7:7; 2 Pet. 3:9; Eph. 1:12. Hence, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye[324] also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” Col. 3:1–6. Therefore, let all bitterness, conceitedness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us. Eph. 4:31,32; 5:1,2. And Christ says: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. John 13:34,35. And Peter says: Have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8); and love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. 13:8. But we must love God above all, as is written: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26. And further: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matthew 19:37. Thus, we must love him above all, and for his name forsake everything, and entirely deny ourselves. 16:24. Hence, my dear sister, be content, and do not grieve immoderately on this account; for it is the will of the Lord, and his will must be done. We must part here once. Thus, hasten, that we may all meet together when men shall not be able to part us any more. May the good and almighty Lord full of grace and truth make us fit hereto. Amen.

[324] We, in the original.

Farewell, and accept this in good part.

HANS VAN DEN WEGE, JANNEKEN VAN HULLE, AND JANNEKEN VAN RENTEGEM, A. D. 1570.

Jan van den Wege, having risen early one morning, and then, about seven o’clock, gone with his cousin to market, was apprehended at the fish market at Ghent in Flanders, by master Klaes (who was wont to ride out with the Dean of Ronse, in order to assist in the apprehension of those called heretics) and two other officers, and taken to the Sausselet (the city prison), where master Klaes asked him concerning his place of residence, which he refused to tell. He was then searched; but they found nothing on his person except a hymn; hence they took their departure from him, leaving him securely locked in prison. Having, after many examinations and vexations, boldly confessed his faith, and refusing to apostatize from it in any wise, he was, on the 7th of November 1570, together with two young maidens, named Janneken van Hulle, and Janneken van Rentegem, sentenced to death for the living word of God. When they were brought forth, almost entirely stripped, the executioner put a gag into each one’s mouth to prevent them from speaking. Thus they went along in silence like sheep to the slaughter, and saluted the brethren by nodding to them. A brother was heard to say to them: “Be valiant.” And a sister said: “Contend valiantly for the truth.” In their sentence it was stated that they had been rebaptized, contrary to the royal decree, also, that they had erred from the true faith, and united with heretics, and that they were therefore sentenced to be burned with fire. The executioner then placed each at a stake, and strangled and burned them. Thus they finished their course, and are now lying under the altar, awaiting the reward of their sufferings.

THE FIRST LETTER OF HANSKEN VAN DEN WEGE.

I wish you, my cordially beloved and chosen sister, whom I love from the very depth of my heart, the unfathomable, abundant, great grace and mercy of the eternal and almighty God, the heavenly Father; and also the great humility and meekness, and the great peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only and true Son of the living God; and the great power, consolation and full joy of the Holy Ghost; this is my eternal and blessed wish and holy salutation and perpetual memorial to you, my dear, chosen sister; and also to all men that fear and love the Lord, and call on him out of a pure heart. This is ever my blessed wish and holy salutation, to the eternal salvation of your souls, and to the praise of the eternal, supreme, almighty God of heaven and earth; to whose name be praise, thanks, glory and honor, forever and ever. Amen.

O see, my dear and much beloved chosen sister, what more shall I wish you? or what more shall I write you than I have written? But I repeat, and this from abundant, pure and fervent love to God, with the holy, chosen apostle Peter, where he writes to you, and also to us, and to all men: “Purify your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, and see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The sun is risen, and hath withered the grass, and the beauty of it is perished: but the word of the Lord endureth forever. 1 Pet. 1:22–25. O dear sister, what a good ointment and blessed doctrine this is which Peter has here taught us by the Holy Ghost. O yes, what a precious medicine this is which the Lord has left us by his apostles, by which the soul can be purified and healed. Hence let us open our ears, and unlock our hearts, that we may hear with our ears and understand with our hearts, what the obedience of the truth teaches us. For it is Jesus Christ, the genuine truth, with all the precious medicines of grace and mercy, and the sweet-smelling oil of love, whereby we purify our souls, and by no other.

Hence, O dear sister, let us hear this truth, and obey it; for he proceeded from the Father, yea, came from and was sent by him, a teacher from heaven, to teach us the way of truth, and the life, which he was himself; and all that he has heard and seen from his Father, he has taught us, in order to purify our souls, and save them for ever; for he teaches us, saying: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 8:42; 1:4; 14:6; 8:38; 3:5.

O dear sister, earnestly pray the Lord for a right understanding of this regeneration, which must be effected from above, of water and of the Spirit, since otherwise we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Hence, let us pray with a firm confidence and a strong faith, yea, pray with an unwavering mind to God the Most High, in spirit and in truth; and it shall be given us, as he himself says: “For every one that asketh receiveth,” says the Lord Jesus Christ. Matt. 7:8. Let us therefore so ask him that we may receive it, that is, understand the regeneration, and live in accordance therewith, and then remain forever and constantly regenerated unto the end. O yes, so born from above, that whereas there was nothing before, there is something now; and whereas formerly we knew nothing but lying and cheating, together with presumptuous pride, proud cursing, fighting, swearing, evil speaking, and lived in much pleasure of the flesh, we now speak the truth from the heart, and walk in the truth, as children that are born of the truth; and live in the fear of our God, with an humbled heart, in lowliness, gentleness, and in great joy of the Spirit, and no longer go to dumb idols, to worship or honor them, nor do we go into their Baal’s dens, where nothing but the commandments of men are taught, which doctrines destroy men’s souls, and with which the devil has destroyed the whole world, for his name is destroyer. Rev. 9:11. O yes, dear sister, whenever we went there, we saw them perform their mass and abominable idolatry, which are but fables and commandments of men, and instituted by the same destroyer, the devil. And when they elevate their abominable idol, every one must fall down before it, and worship and honor it. O what abominable idolatry this is! Sentence has long ago been pronounced upon them; for idolaters, says Paul, have no part in the kingdom of God: but their part, says John, is in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 1 Cor. 6:9; Rev. 21:8. Hence, O dear sister, keep away from idols, and touch not the unclean thing, and let us be turned from idolatry to the service of the living God, to serve him, for he alone is to be heard, praised, honored, worshiped, served, and loved, forever. Yes, dear sister, let us thus apprehend the meaning of Christ, that we be truly turned from the power of this world, where there is nothing but darkness, namely, the night of sin (1 Thess. 5:7; Rom. 13:12); to the day of grace, where shines in the beautiful Sun of righteousness, Jesus Christ, with all his promises and grace (Mal. 4:2; Rom. 6:14); and from lies to the truth, and from unrighteousness and wickedness to righteousness and good works; and thus demonstrate in power, that we are regenerated in humility of heart and spirit, love one another with brotherly love out of a pure heart, and have peace with all men, if it be possible; yea, as ye would that men should do to you, so do you also to them: for this is the law and the prophets, says Christ, who is the infallible truth. 1 Pet. 1:22; Rom. 12:18; Matt. 7:12.

Let us therefore well consider this, that we may not err; for we would indeed be willing that men should show us much favor and mercy, and always live peaceably with us; hence let us also always show much favor and mercy to all men, and do them many kindnesses, thus showing love to them, and seek to live in peace and love with one another, and with all men. Yes, dear sister, let us so purify our souls as Peter says: “Purify your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, and love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” 1 Pet. 1:22,23. O yes, dear sister, let us so follow the advice of Peter, that we obey the truth of Christ, and through obedience purify our souls, and be truly born from above, of water and of the Spirit, which must be effected from high heaven, whereby we must be born again, namely, of the water, as Christ says: “He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.) John 7:38,39. And by the words of truth, as Christ himself says: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. O yes, dear sister, this is the true water and the true Spirit, whereby we must be born again from above, if we are to see the kingdom of heaven; for Christ gives and sends the Holy Spirit from above down upon every one whom he sees prepared; and his word he also brought from above, and hence this regeneration is effected from above. John 15:26; 8:26; 3:3,7.

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