of Nieuwenland, and the parish priest of St. Michael. I asked them what
they desired. They replied: “We have come to seek your soul,” This time
I kept under cover as much as I could, in hopes that we might dispute
openly before the lords, as they told me that they would use their best
endeavors in this direction. But when I heard that it could not be, I
thought, when they came again with the clerk, we must accost each other
in quite a different way, from what we did the last time. I then asked:
“What do you wish?”
_Ans._ “We desire that you suffer yourself to be instructed; for,
behold, we seek your soul.”
_Hans._ “Do you then take so much pains to seek souls?”
_Ans._ “Yes.”
_Hans._ “Well then, go into the city, to every place, to the drunkards,
whoremongers, swearers, railers, covetous, proud, idolaters, revellers,
gluttons, and murderers, who shed innocent blood; all these are still
your brethren; go, seek their souls; Christ has found mine.”
_Ans._ “We admonish them, and then we have delivered our souls.”
_Hans._ “That is not enough; you must go to them, and reprove them, and
if they will not hear you, you must bring them before the church, and
reprove them openly; if they still refuse to hear, exclude them from
the church, and let them be unto you as heathen and open sinners, as
Christ teaches, and Paul writes to the Corinthians. Reprove also your
judges, who do violence and injustice, yea, who shed innocent blood.”
One of the priests then said: “Should we go and reprove the
magistrates?”
I asked whether God was a respecter of persons.
_Ans._ “No.”
_Hans._ “Would you be a minister of God, and have respect to persons?”
_Ans._ “This would cause an uproar in the city, and they would kill us.”
_Hans._ “Then suffer for righteousness’ sake.”
But it seemed to me they had no great desire to suffer for it. In
short, we treated so much of the ban, that if the words of Christ and
Paul were followed, the Pope, Prelates, Emperor and King, yea, they
themselves with all their multitude would be excluded, and only a very
small number remain.
I then told them that their house was all on fire, kindled by the
flames of hell, and that they should first extinguish that, before
coming to see whether our house was in danger of fire. Whereupon they
went away; one of the priests came no more. In this manner I dealt
also with Sir Anthony van Hille; he tormented the others, but let me
alone.
Herewith I commend my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord into the
hands of the Almighty God and Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Written while in prison for the testimony of Christ. I lay in a dark
dungeon for a month; I am now in a deep, round hole, where there is
a little more light, and here I have written this letter. I hope to
offer up my sacrifice this week, if it is the Lord’s will, together
with those whom the Lord has foreordained thereto; for if it does not
take place this week, it will no doubt be deferred for two months yet,
because no court will be held for six weeks. Know, that our brethren
and sisters are of good cheer and courage, through the grace of the
Lord; God be praised for it. I beseech you, by the brotherly love which
you bear to me, that you send this letter to Friesland, particularly to
Emdenland; I mean this same letter, as soon as you can; you may copy
it, but make haste with it. I kindly desire that it be preserved, so
that it may not be torn or soiled. The brethren that are in the dungeon
with me, greet you all with the peace of God. We daily pray to the Lord
for you; do so also for us. Walk in the peace of the Lord, and it will
be well with you. When this letter has been read, send it to Antwerp,
that it may be sent to the church at Emden, so that it may be read to
every one; this I desire of my dear brethren, through the brotherly
love which you bear to me.
A LETTER BY HANS VON OVERDAM, WHICH HE SENT TO THE LORDS OF THE LAW, AT
GHENT AND TO THE COUNCILORS, THE DAY BEFORE HIS APPREHENSION.
_Understand well_:
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear, and he that reads, let him
attend, and judge with the understanding of the holy Scriptures; but
woe to him that judges without understanding. Hearken, I speak to you,
O carnal generation, you Ishmaelites, who boast of being Christians,
because you are born of water without the Spirit, and persecute the
children of the promise, who, through faith in the word of God, are
born of the water and of the Spirit; yea, you persecute them, as
Ishmael persecuted Isaac, as Esau did Jacob, and as the Jews persecuted
Christ. Even so the antichristians, who are born of the flesh, now
persecute the Christians, who are born of the Spirit, who shall receive
the promise of the everlasting kingdom through Christ, who is the
heir of all things, and causes his kingdom to be proclaimed through
the Gospel, unto repentance and true sorrow for dead works, through
faith in him; they contemn his witnesses, etc. This is the wind, O
eagle, mark! which bloweth where it listeth, and thou canst not tell
whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. Hear now his voice, which the
Most High has reserved unto the latter times, to reveal to thee thy
transgressions and punishment, who now begins to deliver his people
through much misery and tribulation.
Therefore, mark! O thou eagle, the end of thy time is very nigh;
art thou not the fourth beast? O yes, thou art the beast seen by
Daniel (Dan. 7:7), which devoured everything with his iron teeth, and
stamped the residue with his feet, and brought forth the most wicked
little horn. Dan. 7:7,8. Thou hast dwelt a long time upon the earth
with deceit, and hast not judged the earth with truth. For thou hast
afflicted the meek, thou hast hurt the peaceable, thou hast loved
liars, and destroyed the dwellings of them that brought forth fruit,
and hast cast down the walls of such as did thee no harm. Therefore
is thy wrongful dealings come up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto
the Mighty. And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, that the earth
may be refreshed, and may return, being delivered from thy violence,
and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of him that made her,
whose judgment shall be better and more just than thine, O thou eagle!
Therefore, shall thy wicked heads which remain to the last, be the
end of the eagle to accomplish his most wicked wickedness, together
with his wicked feathers, which also are kept unto the last. Therefore
hear, vain body of eagle, who vainly boast of what you are not, namely,
Christians. Hear also, you most wicked claws, which are willing and
ready to destroy and rend what your most wicked heads command you,
through the counsel of liars, whom they love. Why do you rejoice in
the misery and fall of the poor lambs and sucklings, who feed still on
milk, and whom you keep imprisoned with violence, and whose souls you
murder with false, deceitful wiles: who have heard the truth only a
year or two at the most; you have none as yet, that can instruct you in
all the articles of faith? Be ashamed of your boasting, that through
your carnal, blind, learned men you have overcome the innocent, with
subtle, deceitful wiles and broken Scriptures. Oh woe, woe! for the
great misery and the terrible times, that wickedness has gained so much
the upper hand, that truth is not permitted as much as openly to defend
itself. Let the misery, violence, and great distress of the pregnant
and the sucklings of these times ascend to the ears of the Most High,
because no help, comfort, or assistance can be rendered them by those
whom the Lord has endowed with more grace and gifts to stop the mouths
of adversaries.
But perhaps you say: Let them come forward then, that are better
endowed, and have received more grace. To this we reply, that the wolf
might call for a long while before the sheep would come; they well
knowing that he would tear them with great cruelty, and without right
and reason. Alas, alas! what awful judgment and terrible punishment
from the fierce and devouring wrath of God shall fall upon those
who without mercy distress, persecute and murder the innocent and
godfearing, and themselves live so ungodly in all the unrighteous
works of the flesh, so that they shall not inherit the kingdom of
heaven. O, thou spiritual Babylon, how shall the Lord visit and avenge
upon you the innocent souls and the blood of his witnesses; for all
this is found in thee. Thou hast made the kings of the earth, and all
nations, so drunken with the wine of spiritual whoredom, that they
can neither see nor hear the truth. O that we might once freely defend
ourselves publicly with the word of God, in the presence of a large,
flaming fire, against all you learned doctors, licentiates, priests and
monks, who help strengthen, protect, preserve and maintain the kingdom
of antichrist, and that the vanquished party should be cast into the
fire; then it would not be necessary to torment and distress the poor,
innocent lambs, and your faith could be tried, as to how it accords
with the truth; then there would be no need of washing the hands with
Pilate, or of the imperial mandate, and the authorities would remain
free from the blood of the innocent, if they would not let the word of
God be judge over the faith. But no, the false prophets and deceivers
well know that their trickery and deceit would be made far too much
manifest thereby. Therefore they cry just as assiduously as did the
scribes and Pharisees; “Crucify him, crucify him.” The mandate of the
Emperor must prevail. Thus it was in the beginning of the fourth beast,
and so it is now at the end of it. Let him that can comprehend with it,
observe with understanding, that the end is the worst of all.
“Princess, repent and amend your ways; for the end of all things is
at hand. Woe unto you false prophets who resist the truth, even as
the Egyptian magicians resisted Moses; but your wickedness shall yet
be made manifest to all men, even as it already begins. Woe unto you
champion antichrist, who put on the time-honored customs of the Roman
church as an armor with which to defend yourselves against the truth,
and use the mandate of the Emperor as a shield, and wield the sword of
the magistracy, in every country to shed the innocent blood of those
who will not defend themselves with temporal or carnal weapons, but
only with the word of God, which is our sword, and which is sharp and
two-edged. But we are daily greatly slandered by those who say that
we defend our faith with the sword, as did those of Munster. May the
Almighty God preserve us from such abominations.
Be it known to you, noble Lords, Councilors, Burgomasters and Judges,
that we recognize your officers as right and good; yea, as ordained and
instituted of God, that is, the secular sword for the punishment of
evil-doers, and the protection of the good, and we desire to obey you
in all taxes, tributes and ordinances, as far as it is not contrary to
God. And if you find us disobedient in these things, we will willingly
receive our punishment as malefactors. God, who is acquainted with
every heart, knows that this is our intention. But understand, ye noble
Lords, that the abuse of your stations or offices we do not recognize
to be from God, but from the devil, and that antichrist, through the
subtlety of the devil, has bewitched and blinded your eyes, so that you
do not know yourselves, who you are, and how sorely you have incurred
the wrath of God. Be sober, therefore, and awake, and open the eyes
of your understanding, and see against whom you fight, that it is not
against man, but against God. Therefore we will not obey you; for it
is the will of God, that we shall be tried thereby. Hence we would
rather, through the grace of God, suffer our temporal bodies to be
burned, drowned, beheaded, racked or tortured, as it may seem good to
you, or be scourged, banished, or driven away, and robbed of our goods,
than show you any obedience contrary to the word of God, and we will
be patient herein, committing vengeance to God; “for we know him that
hath said, “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the
Lord.” And again, “The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:30,31. And
the spirit testifies, that this is at hand, and has already commenced.
Hearken, thou whose time for bearing is half fulfilled: Prepare thy
bed; for thou shalt bring forth. What shall I bring forth? The fruit of
thy labor, with pain and anguish, and afterwards death. Hearken, thou
on the right hand: Prepare the measure. What shall I prepare it for? To
measure thy neighbor, and then shalt thou also be measured. Get thee
ready, thou fire, and do not tarry. Hearken, I speak to you who are of
one mind with the horns (Rev. 17:13), the day of your feast has come,
your meat is ready; eat quickly the fat flesh of the drunken, that the
power may be given to the beast. It has been put into your hearts, so
to do. After the beast you shall have power for a little while. You
fight against the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome you; he is King of
kings, and Lord of lords, and his kingdom will endure forever. Amen.
We testify of him that it is he that shall come, yea, he comes quickly,
the Lord Jesus, who shall reward every man according to his works.
A LETTER OF JANNIJN BUEFKIJN, CALLED HANS KEESKOOPER, A NATIVE OF
VERURCKE, WHICH HE WROTE WHILE IN PRISON AT GHENT, A. D. 1550.
A holy conversation, a living, spiritual faith, hope, and a true
evangelical confidence in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
our only Helper and Savior, I wish to my beloved friends, for glad
tidings and an affectionate salutation, that through said faith and
confidence in God you may grow up in a new and pure life, which life is
perceived and richly found in the holy Gospel. O blessed are they who
purify and sanctify themselves according to the tenor of the Gospel;
without which purification and sanctification no man shall see God nor
the Lord. Thus follow the advice of the Lord Jesus, who says: “Search
the Scriptures.” John 5:39. I have done nothing else; as I and my
fellow-prisoners said before the lords of the Imperial Council; and
they can not, in truth, bring any charge against us. They asked us, me
first, and then the others, one after another, whether we were baptized.
I said: “Yes, my lords.”
_Ques._ “How long since?”
_Ans._ “Four years, my lords.”
_Ques._ “What do you hold concerning your baptism received in infancy?”
_Ans._ “Nothing at all, my lords.”
_Ques._ “Concerning the sacrament of the priests, do you not believe
that flesh and blood is there, and that it is God?”
_Ans._ “No my lords, how should it be flesh and blood and God,” said I
before the priests of Jezebel. “Cover over this whole table with them
[with wafers], and I will blow them away like dust; hence they are not
God, for God can not be handled or eaten bodily.”
They then asked whether I would hold to this. I replied: “Yes, my
lords, till the contrary is proven to me with the Scriptures.”
Thereupon I was led away from the council, and another brought forward,
until ten had made this confession, one of whom is not baptized yet,
but he confessed that it is right and good, and said that he once went
to the teacher to be baptized.
The lords then asked him: “How came it that he did not baptize you?”
The person, a mere lad yet, and a dear child, replied: “My lords, when
the teacher presented the faith to me, and had interrogated me, he well
perceived that I was still young in understanding, and bade me search
the Scriptures still more; but I desired that it be done. He then asked
me whether I knew that the world puts to death and burns such people.
I replied: “I know it well.” He then said to me: “Hence I pray you,
that you have patience for this time, until I come again another time.
Search the Scriptures, and ask the Lord for wisdom; for you are yet a
youth. Thus we parted.”
The lords then asked: “Are you sorry that you are not baptized?”
He said: “Yes, my lords.”
They asked him further: “If you were not imprisoned, would you be
baptized?”
He replied: “Yes, my lords.”
He was then led away from the council.
See, dear friends, these are beautiful signs and miracles; open your
eyes, and behold when such young persons give themselves for the truth,
delivering their bodies into prison, and even unto death. We have told
the lords, that they should bring forward all their learned men, and we
would prove to them with the truth, that they are all false prophets,
and that they have deceived the world for almost thirteen hundred
years with their deceitfulness, and that we would rather dispute with
them publicly upon a scaffold, in the midst of the market-place, than
secretly; but this the priests will not do, and will spare no pains
to escape it. Thus all the learned men were called to dispute in the
consistory, all the lords of the council being present, and also four
of the most learned priests of Ghent; I was present and heard it myself.
Therefore, search the Scriptures, which the Lord commands you to do,
and to act according to them, on pain of the damnation of your souls,
and of being cast into everlasting fire, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth forever; which Scriptures the priests forbid you
to read, on pain of being hated by all men all the days of your life,
and of having your body burned at the stake; which is soon done, as
may be seen. Hence we rather do what the Lord commands, though we are
despised for a little while, and by men cast out of this miserable
world, and rest in the Lord, than do what men command, and be forever
the enemy of God, in the horrible pit of hell. Therefore, search the
Scriptures with an upright heart towards God, and the Lord will give
you understanding. The Lord be with you. My love to you.
From me Jannijn Buefkijn, imprisoned at Ghent, for the testimony of
Jesus. I wish salvation to all that seek the Lord with an unfeigned
heart. Written in the dark with poor materials.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF HANS VAN OVERDAM AND HANS KEESKOPER.
When these two lambs had been sentenced, the Procurator-General said:
“That you are sentenced as heretics, is for the reason that divers
learned men disputed with you, and you would not suffer yourselves to
be instructed.”
_Hans van Overdam._ “My lords, if we could have disputed publicly, it
would soon have been seen what kind, learned men they were.”
_Procurator-General._ “It is too late now; it is too late now!”
Both were sent away then, going with a smile on their lips.
_Hans van Overdam._ “Yes, yes, it is too late now!”
Hans Keeskooper had agreed with Hans van Overdam, that on the scaffold
he would take off his stockings, and in the meantime Hans van Overdam
should speak to the people; which was also done. When the executioners
would assist Hansken, the latter desired to do it alone, that Hans
van Overdam might speak the longer to the people. This done, each was
placed at a stake, and they offered up their bodies to God.
GOVERT, GILLIS, MARIKEN, AND ANNEKEN, A. D. 1550.
On the last of January 1550, there were offered up for the faith, at
Lier, in Brabant, four pious Christians, named Govert, Gillis, Mariken
and Anneken, who, as sheep for the slaughter, had been apprehended
without violence. When they were brought before the council, and
questioned concerning their faith, they made a frank and unfeigned
confession of it. The bailiff then said: “You stand here to defend
yourselves?”
Govert replied: “As regards my faith, I have freely confessed it, and
shall turn to no other; though it cost my life, I will adhere to it.”
Forthwith the imperial edict was read to them, and the bailiff asked
them whether they understood its contents.
Govert said: “God has commanded us through Christ, as is recorded in
the sixteenth chapter of Mark, that all who believe and are baptized
shall be saved, and that those who do not believe shall be damned;
but the Emperor, in his blind judgment, has commanded that whoever is
baptized upon his faith, shall be put to death without mercy. These two
commands militate against each other; one of the two we must forsake;
but every one ought to know that we must keep the command of God; for
though Satan teaches that we are heretics, yet we do not act contrary
to the word of God.”
When they were led to the tribunal, Govert said to the priests: “Take
off your long robes, put on sack cloth, put ashes on your heads, and
repent, like those of Nineveh.”
In the court the bailiff asked him whether he desired no favor.
He replied: “I will not ask for your favor; for what I cannot do
without the most high God will give me.”
The bailiff said also to Anneken: “Do you not desire a favor, before
sentence is passed upon you?”
She answered: “I shall ask favor of God, my refuge.”
Mariken, an old woman of seventy-five years, was asked whether she
would confess her sins to the priest.
She replied: “I am sorry that I ever confessed my sins to the mortal
ears of the priests.”
Seeing some brethren, Govert turned his face and joyfully comforted
them, saying among other things: “I pray God, that you may be thus
imprisoned for his glory, as I now am.”
The bailiff very fiercely said: “Be still, for your preaching is of no
account here.”
“My lord bailiff,” said he, “I speak only five or six words, which God
has given me to speak; does this give you so much pain?” And when the
people murmured on this account, he said: “This has been witnessed from
the time of righteous Abel, that the righteous have suffered reproach;
hence be not astonished.” The two servants that stood by him said “You
must not speak; the bailiff will not have it; hence be still.”
Immediately God closed his mouth, which grieved many. Gillis was not
questioned, and he said nothing at all; but they were led back to
prison, where they rejoiced together, and sang: _Saligh is den man, en
goet geheeten_;; and also the forty-first psalm. The bailiff then came
into prison, and asked Govert, whether he had considered the matter; to
which he replied: “Unless you repent, the punishment of God shall come
upon you.” The bailiff looked out of the window, and said: “Will God
damn all this multitude of people?”
Govert replied: “I have spoken the word of God to you; but I hope there
are still people here who fear God?”
The bailiff then turned to Anneken, and asked her what she had to say
to it.
She replied: “Lord bailiff, twice I have been greatly honored in this
city, namely, when I was married, and when my husband became emperor;
but I never had a joy that did not perish, as I now have.”
On his way to death, Govert delivered an excellent admonition,
reproving the wicked railing, and said: “Be it known to you, that we do
not die for theft, murder or heresy, but because we seek an inheritance
with God, and live according to his word.”
The executioner commanded him silence, but he said: “Leave God be with
me for a little while; repent, for your life is short.”
A brother then said: “God will strengthen you.”
“O yes,” said he, “the power of his Spirit is not weakening in me.”
The monk attempted to speak to Mariken, but Govert said: “Get you
hence, deceiver, to your own people; for we have no need of you.”
Entering the ring, Govert said to the gild-brothers: “How you stand
here with sticks and staves? thus stood the Jews when they brought
Christ to death; if we had been afraid of this, we would have fled in
time.”
They then knelt down together, and prayed; whereupon they kissed each
other. Anneken immediately commenced to sing: “In thee, O Lord, do I
put my trust.” Ps. 71:1. The servants told her to be still; but Govert
said: “No, sister, sing on,” and helped her sing. Enraged at this,
the bailiff called to him a servant, and whispered something in his
ear. The latter went to the assistant of the executioner, who, upon
receiving the order, immediately put a gag on Govert; but the latter
held his teeth so firmly closed, that the gag did not hinder him much,
and he laughingly said: “I could easily sing with the gag on; but Paul
says: Sing in your heart to God.” Eph. 5:19.