shown us, that he did not spare his only begotten Son, and how Christ
so willingly delivered himself up, and suffered the most ignominious
and shameful death of the cross, and shed his precious blood, for us,
to wash and cleanse us from our sins. O dear brethren and sisters,
let us take heed, and diligently pray and watch, lest the saving
grace of God, and the unspeakable love of the Father, and of Christ,
be neglected or forgotten by us (Heb. 12:15), through the cares and
anxieties of this world, or through the lusts and desires which kill
the soul, and we be washed and scoured off as spots and wrinkles from
the glorious church of Christ; yea, cut off as unfruitful branches, and
destined to the fire. For, my most beloved, it is not enough, that we
have received baptism upon faith, and been engrafted by it into Christ,
if we do not hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the
end. Heb. 3:14. Therefore, if there is any one that feels that he is
become a spot or wrinkle, let him see to it that he make haste, before
the day come upon him, as the snare upon the bird; let him repent with
true sorrow and penitence, lift up the hands which hang down, and the
feeble knees, and run with full strength the race that is set before
him, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but that it may
much rather be healed and strengthened, that we may pass the time of
our sojourning here in the fear of God, and keep ourselves unspotted
from this wicked evil world, which is full of deceit, snares, and nets,
which the devil sets for the purpose of seducing the souls of men, and
of taking them captive by manifold lusts and wiles.
O Lord, preserve (from this murderer) thy pilgrims who walk in the
hope of thee, and expect their help and comfort from thee alone. O
heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, preserve us that thou
mayest perform the good work which thou hast begun in us, to the praise
and glory of thy holy name. O thou Almighty and everlasting God, how
utterly incomprehensible is thy grace and fatherly mercy upon those
that fear and love thee. O Father, who should not fear such a God,
who knows how to deliver his own; though they may seem to be forsaken
here for a little season, despised of all men, rejected and cursed on
this earth; yet he does not forsake his own through the consolation of
his Holy Spirit in our hearts, who makes us bold and joyful, that we
may suffer reproach for his name. And we hope through the goodness of
God; that our pilgrimage will soon end, and we shall be delivered from
this miserable world and vale of tears, and that this earthly house
of our tabernacle will be dissolved, that we may be brought home to
our heavenly Father, and receive the crown of everlasting life, which
is set before us, and which we hope no creature shall take from us.
To this end, may the Almighty and eternal God, the merciful Father,
strengthen us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dear friends, let me tell you, how it went with me before my
imprisonment, and how they treated us after my imprisonment.
At the time when the four friends concerning whom I composed the hymn,
and whose burning I witnessed, were offered up, I heard it stated that
they had assailed the friends who yet remained in prison, with great
cunning and deception, through the advice of the false prophets, whose
minds are constantly filled with the subtlety of the devil, even as
they had boasted that they would do. Our friends that remained there,
were two lads and a girl, for whom we daily very diligently prayed
the Lord, fearing, lest they might by some means be moved from the
faith. We daily expected that they would also be put to death, and
because of their youth I was impelled in my heart to station myself
at the scaffold, when they were to be put to death, in order that, if
they should be troubled on any account, I might comfort them, and also
reprove the monks, who greatly distress and vex our friends when they
are led to death. But, alas! the poor children did not get so far; for
they imprudently allowed themselves to be drawn into disputations with
the false prophets, though they had been sufficiently warned to beware
of it as they valued their souls; for it is not given to every one to
dispute, but boldly to confess the faith. This when received from the
Lord, well becomes Christians.
But when these poor lambs engaged in controversy, they became perplexed
in their consciences, and apostatized from the truth, which gave the
false prophets cause for great boasting, since they had won their
souls, and brought them back to the holy church. When I heard this, my
soul and spirit were greatly grieved on account of the loss of the poor
sheep, and because the false prophets, and also the councilors gloried
so much in the fall and destruction of the poor lambs and children,
whom they had driven to this by adjuring them as you shall hear in the
sequel.
Being thus sorrowful, I sighed and complained to God over the violence
and power of the devil, which he exerts through the children of
unbelief. Then the thought came to me, to write a few letters--for the
purpose of informing them in several places--reprehending their vain
joy over the loss of the poor lambs whose souls they had murdered. I
then began to write, and while thus engaged, my soul was so kindled,
that what I had intended to be a little letter of a hand-breadth,
became a letter of a whole leaf. The Lord opened my understanding, so
that in a wonderful manner I proved to the lords, by references to the
Scriptures, their punishment with the whole Roman Empire and its end.
In the letter I wrote, that I desired and requested liberty publicly to
dispute with all their learned men, in the presence of a great fire,
into which the defeated party should be cast; also, that they should
let the poor lambs in peace, and that they should leave the sword to
the secular power, and contend with the word of God.
Having completed this letter, I showed it to the brethren, who were
well pleased with it. I then had a brother, who was a better writer
than I, make six copies of it. In the meantime, the poor, ruined lambs
were released from prison, and recanted everything. One of the lads
died the same day on which he came out, a league from the city, and
thus became an example to those who seek to save their life.
At the time that this occurred I came with Hansken Keeskooper from
Antwerp, and we made all our arrangements for the disposing of our
letters. On Saturday evening we sent the letters to the lords of the
city, and also posted two open ones in the middle of the city, that
every one might read them. We greatly praise and thank the Lord, that
we did this before we were apprehended: for we were all betrayed by a
Judas, who was among us, and who seemed to be one of the most pious of
all the brethren that were there, so successfully could he practice his
deception. It had long been his aim, as we now perceive, to betray a
large number of the friends. This traitor was present when the letters
were posted. We had appointed to meet together on Sunday morning, to
speak of the word of the Lord; for I desired to take leave of the
brethren, intending to go on a journey the next day. But the Lord be
praised, who had ordered it otherwise. Early in the morning, Hansken
went with me to the woods where we were to assemble. We did not find
our friends at the place where we expected to meet them. We hunted for
them a good half-hour, and came to the conclusion that they had not
yet come, as there had been a heavy rain the evening before. We were
about to turn back, when I said: “Let us go; they may be here ahead of
us,” and sang softly; that, if they were there, they might hear us. I
then heard a rustling in the woods, and said to Hansken: “Our friends
are here.” We stood still, and looked to see who should come out. Then
three men with weapons and sticks came forth.
I said: “Well, boys, have you been hunting a hare, and have not caught
it?”
Their faces turned pale as death, and they stepped up to us, and seized
me by the arm, saying: “Surrender.”
Thus they apprehended us, saying: “We have caught a great number
besides.”
We then saw a whole wagon full of our brethren sitting bound, and three
Judges with all their servants, a great number, who guarded them. When
we came to them, we saluted our brethren with the peace of the Lord,
and comforted them with his words, boldly to contend for his name.
We then reproved the Judges for being so desirous of shedding innocent
blood. Thereupon they coupled Hansken and me together with iron
fetters, and also our thumbs. We expected they would take us to the
city; but as we had been apprehended in another seigniory, we had to go
half a league further. We regarded it as very fortunate that we could
be together so long, thus being enabled to comfort one another on the
way, with the word of the Lord, before they separated us.
We were then taken to a castle, a league from the city, where we were
all kept together in one room, remaining there three days; for this
was the law of the seigniory where we had been apprehended. There we
thanked and praised the Lord our God for having ordered it so well,
that we had so much time freely to admonish one another. Much people
also came from the city, to see and hear us; but towards the last no
one was permitted to come into our room. There the chief Bailiff of the
country of Aelst examined us in regard to our faith, which we freely
confessed to him. We expected to be taken to Aelst; but as the bailiff
of Ghent had put us into the wagon when we were apprehended, to take
us to Ghent, all of us had to be taken to that city. The traitor who
had betrayed us, was apprehended with us, that we might not notice
it. He was put into a separate room, and we felt much compassion for
him, because he could not be with us; for we knew not that he was our
betrayer. He was also taken along in the wagon, to the prison at Ghent,
where we first learned that he had betrayed us.
When we were brought out of the castle, to be taken to the city, much
people had come from the city to see us; there my brother’s wife, who
was a sister, was apprehended, because she spoke to me, and was put
into the wagon; also a man who wished us Godspeed. We freely spoke to
the people that had come, telling them that those who would turn from
wickedness, and follow Christ, had to be a prey for every one. Is.
59:15. There were many who would have liked to talk with us, but did
not dare do so, because of the wicked judges. There were ten of us; two
were ready [for baptism], and four were novices; the other two were
apprehended because they spoke to us. Thus they took two wagon loads to
the city, in broad daylight. On the way, they also apprehended a woman,
only because she said to us: ‘God keep you.’ She also had to sit in the
wagon. But if they had apprehended all who spoke to us when we came
into the city, and to whom we replied with the word of God, they could
not have carried them in twenty wagons, as the people came running
from every corner which we passed; as water which runs down from the
mountains, and becomes a large stream, so the people flowed together,
which continued from one of the gates of the city to the castle of the
count, which stands at the other end of the city, a walking distance
of about one hour. We were led up to the castle, and the judge of the
country of Aelst, delivered us over into the hands of the lords of the
Imperial Council. Here we were separately confined, some into upper
rooms. The women also remained above; but eleven of us were led into a
gloomy, deep dungeon, containing divers dark cells built of masonry, in
which we were put in separate parties of three and three. But Hansken
and I were put into the darkest of all, in which there was a small
quantity of crumbled straw, about an apron full, with which we might
help ourselves. I said: “It seems to me that we are with Jonah in the
whale’s belly, so dark it is here; we may well cry with Jonah to the
Lord, that he will be our comforter and deliverer; for we are now
deprived of all human comfort and assistance.” This did not deject us,
but we praised and thanked God, that we were permitted to suffer for
his name. We also spoke to our brethren that lay in other cells; for
we could easily hear each other speaking. After we had lain there for
three or four days, Hansken and I were both summoned before the lords,
where we were examined, and interrogated concerning the ground of our
faith, and when we had been baptized.
The Lord then, according to his promise, gave us a mouth, to speak
boldly, and we requested to be allowed publicly to defend ourselves
with the word of God. They replied to us, that they would send us
learned men, who would instruct us; whereupon we were taken below again.
Shortly after, I was taken above into another room, to two councilors
and a clerk. There they interrogated me very closely, where I had been,
and if I knew that I had been banished six years ago, in the time of
Martin Huereblock, and where we had held our meetings; all of which
they knew, for the traitor had already told them. I said: “Why do you
ask me, who have come from foreign countries?” (For I purposely did not
wish to ask much, that, in case I should be apprehended, I might not
have much to answer.) “Why do you question me so closely? have you not
yet enough innocent blood to shed? do you thirst for still more?” “Ask
as closely as you want to,” said I; “the righteous Judge shall ask you
again, if you do not repent.”
They then asked me still more, and adjured me by my baptism, that I
should tell them; “For,” said they, “we know that you people do not
lie; hence tell us.”
I said: “That you know that we do not lie, is to us a testimony of
salvation, but to you of perdition (Phil. 1:28), because you put such
to death; but your adjuration has no power against the truth.”
All that I said was written down, and they threatened to torture me if
I would not tell them everything. I said: “I can not tell you what I do
not know.” Thus they tormented me for a very long time. Thereupon I was
taken below again. In this manner they dealt with all our friends, with
each separately.
One Saturday I was taken above again into the same room. Four monks
were present; the guardian of the Minorites, with another, and the
Superior of the Jacobines, with another. With me there came a young
brother, who had not yet received baptism, but was ready for it.
When I had seated myself, I asked them what they wished. They said
they were sent by the lords, to instruct us, and to converse with us
concerning the ground and articles of faith. I replied that I was ready
to be instructed with the word of God, and to hold converse concerning
the ground and articles of faith, and this publicly, in the presence of
the judges who were to judge us, and of our brethren and sisters that
were imprisoned with us.
_Ans._ “This they will not permit.”
_Hans van Overdam._ “Well, let them do what they please; we will not
dispute secretly and alone, lest our words be perverted behind our
backs.”
_Ans._ “We will not pervert your words.”
_Hans._ “No, we know you well.”
_Ques._ “What do you take us for? what evil did we ever do you? pray,
tell us what evil do you know of us?”
_Hans._ “If you would know it then; I regard you as false prophets and
seducers.”
Here we got into a dispute concerning their spiritual semblance, and
the command of the Pope regarding the purity of the priests and monks,
and why they were called spiritual, and others secular, when all ought
to be spiritual.
They then said: “This is not profitable; let us dispute about the
articles of faith.”
Thereupon I said: “What I have said I have said.”
They replied that they would tell it to the lords. Thus we separated,
having disputed with each other for fully two hours. Two days after,
Hansken and I were summoned before the lords; the four monks were
present, and attempted to engage us in a disputation.
I then said to the lords: “My lords, I ask you, in what house are we,
in a house of justice, or of violence?”
_Ans._ “In a house of justice.”
_Hans._ “God grant that it be so; but, my lords, of what do you
accuse us, that you keep us imprisoned and confined like thieves and
murderers? Have we wronged any one, or do you charge us with violence,
murder, or roguery?”
_Ans._ “No; we know no such thing of you.”
_Hans._ “Well, my lords, why then have you imprisoned us?”
_Ans._ “Your adversaries will tell you that.”
_Hans._ “Are you our adversaries?”
_Ans._ “No, but we are judges.”
I then said to the monks: “Are you our adversaries?”
_Ans._ “No.”
_Hans._ “Well, if no one is our adversary, why are we imprisoned?”
A councilor then said: “The Emperor is your adversary.”
_Hans._ “We have not offended against his Imperial Majesty according to
the power which he has received from God, and will obey him in every
ordinance, as far as we can do so consistently with the truth.”
_Councilor._ “You have held meetings of this new doctrine, and the
Emperor has commanded that this should not be done.”
_Hans._ “God has not authorized him to make such commandments; in this
he transcends the power which God has given him, and in this we do not
recognize his supremacy; for the salvation of our souls concerns us
more, so that we show obedience to God.”
The monks then said: “We are your adversaries, in that your doctrine
is not good; for if it were good, you would not preach in woods and
corners, but openly.”
Hans then said: “Grant us a free place in the market, or in your
monasteries and churches, and see whether we then shall go into the
woods; but no, you are afraid that you would be reproved; hence you
have brought it about, that you cannot be reproved, and have driven us
from cities and countries.”
_Monks._ “Alas! we have not done it; the Emperor does it.”
_Hans._ “You have urged him to it.”
_Monks._ “We have not.”
The lords also then began to speak against us, why we were not content
with the faith of our parents, and with our baptism.
We replied: “We know of no infant baptism, but of a baptism upon faith,
concerning which the word of God teaches us.”
We then had many other words, and reproved them for undertaking to
be judges in matters of faith, when they did not understand the
Scriptures. “If you would be judges, be impartial, and let the matter
proceed in regular order; let both parties appear together, and let our
brethren and sisters that have been brought prisoners here together
with us, be with us. Then one of us, whose mouth the Lord shall
open, will speak, and the others shall listen in silence while he is
speaking; and thus shall also our adversaries do.”
_Lords._ “We will not let you come together; we would have you dispute
alone here.”
We then said: “My lords, it would be the most convenient for you, and
the whole matter could be finished with one disputation; otherwise you
will constantly have to dispute anew with one or two at a time.”
_Lords._ “What then? we will not have it so.”
Then a councilor said: “They want to have them together, in order to
seduce one another still more; therefore they cannot be allowed to come
together.”
_Hans._ “My lords, you say that you are judges, but we regard you as
our adversaries; for you seek to injure us in every way, and to cause
us and our brethren by violence and subtlety, to apostatize from our
faith.”
_Ans._ “Why should we not do this, in order to bring them back?”
_Hans._ “Well, my lords, hear this: since we see that you are no
judges, but our adversaries, and employ, wherever you can, all
violence and subtlety, to your advantage, and our detriment: Firstly,
you have by violence deprived us of our testaments, in which we find
our consolation; secondly, you have confined us separately, some in
deep, dark dungeons, others in rooms up above; and thirdly, you seek
to outwit and deceive us by separate disputations, afterwards to say
behind our backs, to our brethren, that you had overcome us, and, vice
versa, to say the same to us concerning our brethren and sisters;
therefore, my lords, we will not dispute here, unless our brethren and
sisters are present.”
When they heard that their design against us did not proceed according
to their wish, they became greatly enraged, and also the monks. We
saw easily enough to what it amounted, and that all they did was pure
deception; for though it was proven by the Scriptures, with regard
to several articles, that they were in the wrong, yet they would
not acknowledge it, and excused themselves with the Emperor and his
mandates, and the monks with the long continued customs of the Roman
church (Wisdom 14:16), and the great number of our forefathers; and
when the contrary had been proven to them from the Scriptures, it was
just as before, even as though one should have talked to the stove.
We then said: “My lords, will you not permit us, to dispute in regular
order, as we have requested?”
_Ans._ “No.”
“Well then,” said we, “You know the ground of our faith, which we have
freely confessed to you; you may now do with us as you please (Jer.
26:14), as far as God will permit; but take good heed what you do, for
there is a judge still higher than you. Eph. 6:9. May the Lord open
the eyes of your understanding, that you may see how miserably you are
seduced and deceived by the false prophets, indeed so that you fight
against God and the Lamb, for which it will go hard with you, unless
you repent.”
We were then led away again, as we would not dispute further; for we
had agreed upon this, when we were together yet in the castle, out of
the city, lest they should take the simple unawares by disputations.
Hence they could not persuade any that they had overcome them, all
knowing that they were not to dispute, except in the presence of the
others, in which case the disputation would tend to the consolation
and admonition of our brethren and sisters who should hear it; for when
we saw that they did their best we would not let anything be wanting
on our part, seeing necessity demanded it. When they perceived that
this did not promise success, they tried another scheme. They sent
a councilor and two friars, a grey and a black, into a room, before
whom a brother or sister, one at a time, were brought, to dispute with
them and to defend the ground of their faith; but they declared that
they would not dispute alone in a room, but openly, when we should be
together before the lords. They then said: “We adjure you by your faith
and baptism, that you dispute here.” The brother replied: “I know my
faith and baptism; but with your adjuration I have nothing to do; hence
let us come together; for this is just what we wish, to dispute openly
with you, but not thus alone in a room.” Another was then summoned,
and thus it went until all had been brought before them; but no one
would dispute in this manner. Thereupon I also had to appear alone in
a room, before a councilor and two monks, who likewise began to adjure
me. I then said: “Why would you adjure me, to cast roses before dogs,
and pearls before swine, that you may trample on them? No, this the
Lord has forbidden me to do. Matt. 7:6. Nay, I esteem the words of God
far too precious, than that I should let the light shine in vain here,
whereby no one would be enlightened, but it would only be blasphemed
and mocked, as you do when the truth is told you.”
Then they adjured me still much more; but I replied: “Why do you adjure
so much? I care not for your adjuration; for it is the manner of
sorcerers, who adjure against the truth. 2 Chron. 33:6. But I now see
clearly, how the souls of our two brethren and sisters were murdered
and seduced (Ezek. 13:19), it was through your sorcerous adjuration, as
they did not guard themselves against the subtlety of the devil, and
had not the gift to dispute.”
The guardian then said: “You boasted in your letter, that you would
dispute publicly; why do you not dare do it now?”
_Hans._ “You monk, I still desire with all my heart to defend my faith
with the word of God, publicly before all men (1 Pet. 3:15); but your
cap would shake quite differently, if you had to dispute with me at the
risk of the fire, and if the authorities would not protect you.”
_Councilor._ “No, we have no desire to let you dispute publicly; you
are now in our hands.”
_Hans._ “I desired it, before I knew that I should fall into your
hands; but I see well now, that I have fallen into the talons of the
eagle (2 Esdra 11), and whoever gets into them cannot escape without
losing soul or body.”
_Councilor._ “Who is the eagle, the Emperor?”
_Hans._ “No, it is the Roman Empire or power; read the letter I wrote
you; it will tell you.”
We then exchanged many more words, and the monks became angry at me,
and commenced to utter puffed-up words. I then said that Paul had
prophesied correctly concerning them, that they were blasphemers,
proud, and puffed up. 2 Timothy 3:2.
Thereupon friar Jan de Croock became so enraged that he began to cry:
“Fools, fools, heretics, heretics are you!”
_Hans._ “Behold, is this not a fine teacher? but Paul says that a
teacher must not be a brawler, nor angry.” 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7. The
councilor felt ashamed that the monk acted so disgracefully, and
commanded him to be silent.