have liked to engage me in a disputation concerning the articles of
faith; but I would not enter into one, confining myself to the asking
of such questions. The man was willing in speaking, and very mild,
and wanted attention to be given to what he said, and also gave good
attention himself. And I thought: “I have heard so long and so much of
this man, that he persecutes and troubles the church so greatly; I must
see now, how he will prove it with the Scriptures, when I speak with
him; for I don’t know that I have ever seen him.”
I asked him, where he found it written, that he should run so
bloodthirstily after innocent blood, which no one could accuse of any
crime. _Dean._ “My friend, I don’t run after or seek the blood of any
one.” _Claes._ “You send out your servants for that purpose.” _Dean._
“I do not, my friend.” _Claes._ “Do you persecute no one, then?”
_Dean._ “No, my friend.” _Claes._ “Have you no mandates either, by
which you cause it to be done?” _Dean._ “No, my friend.” _Claes._ “You
have certainly delivered to the law my fellow-brethren who fell into
your hands, and remained steadfast in the faith; this has been manifest
to all the world.” _Dean._ “I don’t do this, my friend.” _Claes._ “Why
do you come and sit with the Judges, and have so much to say, if you
don’t concern yourself about the matter? One by hearing you talk, would
think you had no hand in it.” _Dean._ “No, my friend;” and he rubbed
his hands together. _Claes._ “Who then does it?” _Dean._ “The secular,
or the lord who has received the sword.”
We had yet much more discussion on this subject, so that he did not
know which way to turn. He asked from Deut. 17:12, upon which passage
he founded it, that the priests had the authority, etc. I told him
that that was under the law of revenge, but that now we were under
the law of grace. Exodus 21:23; Rom. 6:14. And I asked him, how he
dared do something which the Lord had forbidden, namely, concerning
the tares, Matt. 13:30, that both the wheat and the tares should be
suffered to grow together. I asked him which of the two I was, that
I must certainly be either the wheat or the tares? _Dean._ “You are
the tares.” _Claes._ “Why don’t you let me grow until the day of
harvest?” _Dean._ “What the lord of the field commanded his servants
was for the reason, that they should not spoil the wheat by pulling
up the tares. But I can go along the edges, and here and there pluck
out a handful or two, yea, sometimes, six, eight, ten, twelve, yea,
now and then a hundred or two, without spoiling the wheat.” _Claes._
“Then you are wiser than the servants of the Lord.” _Dean._ “I can
certainly well do this.” _Claes._ “When I held with the priests, and
walked according to your will, was I a good blade?” _Dean._ “Yes.”
_Claes._ “Am I now a bad blade?” _Dean._ “Yes.” _Claes._ “Well, then,
if I am a bad blade, according to your own words, you have yourselves
spoiled me, and others, who have gone before, by your plucking, and
yet you say that you can do it so well. O you miserable plucker, that
you are, when you plucked the four blades of Lier, in the Verle place,
five years ago, when you stood on the scaffold, and preached, and
the people said: “Antichrist preaches.” It was then that I began to
investigate, what faith it was for which those people died so boldly
there; and I examined the scripture which you quoted from 2 Tim. 2 and
3. And I found that I had to separate from such a people as is plainly
enough spoken of there, with regard to you; and I separated from such
a multitude, and do so yet. What becomes now of you and your plucking,
poor plucker; the more you pluck, the more you spoil; according to your
own words, it were better if you would stop.” And I told him a great
deal from the Scriptures, so that he was ashamed, and knew not what to
answer.
At last he said: “Those were not my people; it seems to me, that you
have searched the Scriptures well; where did you hold your church?”
_Claes._ “Where Christ and his apostles held it, behind hedges, in
the woods, in the field, on mountains, on the sea-coast, sometimes in
houses, or wherever they found a place.” Luke 6:17; Matt. 5:2; Acts
1:13. _Dean._ “Christ preached openly (Jn. 18:20); but you people
cannot be found, where you are, or who you are.” _Claes._ “It is
certainly a great cross for you, that you cannot find them, nor know
them, and that you people are known so well. I hope that God will
not permit you to find them; but though you sometimes cut into the
branches, I trust that you will not cut off the vine. Christ Jesus,
the living Son of God, will keep and feed his branches, so that they
may bring forth fruit, although you now do your very best to tear and
destroy them.”
We spoke much more yet of the church, and of his people, whom he
exalted greatly. I asked him many questions in regard to whether
infants that died without baptism were damned. He said: “Yes.” I asked
him whether the apostles had read mass and persecuted. And he replied
“Yes” to everything, so that it seemed to me that the more I asked him,
the more he lied; and I reproved him for the lies in which I found him.
He said: “They are not lies, but it is the truth; but you don’t believe
what is told you; you remain hardened and unbelieving.” And according
to his words, it seemed that the life of the apostles was not a whit
different from that of the priests. He said: “As regards your life,
your walk or conversation is good towards all men, and you do unto your
neighbor as you would have men do unto you, and live in peace, love
and unity with one another, which is very good; and you assist each
other in need and distress, and lay down your lives for one another,
which is also very good, I can say nothing against it; and you expel
from your church them that live disorderly, as you expelled Jelis of
Aix-la-Chapelle, who led such a life, as I well know; against this I
have nothing to say, it is all well done: but of what use is it to your
people to have the life, if you have not the faith? it is not able to
save you.” I replied: “We have also the faith; but you don’t understand
it, or will not understand it; but it will yet be revealed to you, in
the last day of the Lord, whom you have served.” And I assailed him
very severely.
He rang the bell for the jailer to let him out. The latter came into
the room, and the Dean rose to go. I thanked him much that he had come
here for my sake. He turned around and said: “I should like to see
you suffer yourself to be brought on the right way; but you persist
obstinately in your unbelief; you are like your master.” I asked:
“Who is my master?” He replied: “The devil.” I assailed him with many
Scriptures, in order that he should come no more, and he went away
ashamed, because the jailer was present, and other prisoners, who came
running to the door. I had asked him for information concerning Jelis,
and he could tell me everything, which greatly astonished me.
The third day after this, the jailer came once more for me, and I went
down very willingly. He directed me to go into a certain room. When
I entered it, there were sitting there the chief Judge with another
Judge, and a pastor or priest, who was exceedingly bent upon examining
our friends, and very mordacious in his words, so that he could listen
to nothing that was said, without interrupting it. But one of the
Judges had never been a Judge before, and he constantly forbade him;
for he paid very close attention. When I entered the room, I did the
lords great reverence, and they did the same to me. 1 Pet. 2:17. I took
a seat at the table, and the priest made a lengthy harangue, as had the
dean; I kept silent till I was asked. When he had ended his sermon,
he asked me: “Why did you suffer yourself to be seduced so miserably
from the faith into error?” _Claes._ “I have not been led into error,
but from error into the true Christian faith.” _Priest._ “What then is
your faith; let us hear?” _Claes._ “I believe that Jesus Christ is the
true, living Son of God, and that there is no other salvation either
in heaven or on earth, either under it or above it.” _Chief Judge._
“This we all likewise believe in our church.” The priest laughed,
saying: “This I also preach; tell us something else, and speak freely;
for Christ said: When you are brought before kings, and princes, and
magistrates, fear not what ye shall speak; for it shall be given you in
that same hour, of my heavenly Father, what ye shall speak; yea, my
spirit shall speak through your mouth. Matt. 10:19. Now, if you have
received the Holy Spirit, speak freely through the Holy Spirit.” And
the chief Judge sat there and kept nodding his head, and smiling, and
saying: “Yes, yes, Claes, yes;” before I could say a single word. The
priest continued instantly. “Christ promised his church, that he would
be with them unto the end of the world. Matt. 28:20. And I can find
none among you that can tell me of a longer existence of your church
than about thirty years; for before that it did not exist; or do you
know of any books of your people, that are older, then name them to
us.” _Claes._ “Since Christ promised his church, that he should be
with her unto the end of the world, I doubt not that he has been the
preserver of his body, and is yet, and will be as long as the world
will endure, according to his promise, Matt. 28:20; Eph. 5:23. Although
she was sometimes extirpated in some countries, through bloodshed and
persecution, and through the false doctrine of the Roman Empire, or
otherwise; she was therefore not annihilated throughout the world; for
the world is great, and she could linger in some corner of the world,
and from one to the other, without perishing utterly. And as to your
asking me to name to you any books of our church, the Bible is our
book, which has reigned in the church from of old.” _Priest._ “Is it
big enough for you people, and have you enough with one?” _Claes._
“Yes; it is too big yet for us.” The priest laughed and said: “What
becomes then of all the books written from the time of the apostles
by learned men, who also received the Spirit of God, as well as the
apostles? have they all written in vain; as Jerome, Gregory, Augustine,
and Ambrose; these were certainly good and virtuous men, were they
not?” _Claes._ “Were these the four pillars upon which your church
is founded?” _Priest._ “Yes.” _Claes._ “I did not know them, only by
hearsay; they were pious scullions, if they founded your church as it
yet is as may be seen.” The priest drew back, and said: “Why, why!” I
said: “Christ did not thus found his church, neither did Peter, Paul,
Stephen, and John; they rather received rods on the back, stones on
the head, and the sword in the neck, and so forth.” 2 Cor. 11:25; Acts
7:58; 12:2.
The priest was disconcerted, and said: “Tell us the truth about
your church; for no one knows where to find it; if it were good, it
would certainly come to the light; you people have neither head nor
authority, nor do you know one another; this is a strange thing.”
_Claes._ “Paul teaches us in his epistle to the Ephesians, concerning
the true church, which Christ has presented to himself, that it is
glorious, holy and without blemish, without spot or wrinkle; that they
are baptized together into one Spirit, and into one body, the head
of which is Christ, and are joined together as members of his body.
These have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, of us
all, who is through us all, and in us all. This is the true temple of
God, in which dwells the Spirit of God. This church Christ has bought
and redeemed with his blood.” Eph. 5:27; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5,6; 1
Corinthians 6:19,20; 1 Pet. 1:19. _Priest._ “Did not Christ redeem
all men, but only these?” _Claes._ “It is written in divers places,
that the unbelieving shall be damned; how then will the death of
Christ benefit them? or what will it avail them that Christ died? It
is to be feared that they will regret it, that Christ died. But those
who have believed in the word of the Lord, and followed it, they are
the ones who will inherit the kingdom of heaven, and triumph with the
Lord on mount Zion, who have death, devil, hell and the world under
their feet, though the world in her frenzy hastens to tear, devour and
destroy them. If they were of the world, the world would love them;
but because they are not of the world, therefore the world hates them,
as Christ said.” John 15:19. _Priest._ “You people don’t believe that
Christ is God and man.” _Claes._ “I believe that Christ is true God
and man.” _Priest._ “Do you not believe that Christ is man from Mary’s
flesh?” _Claes._ “No; for if he had become man from Mary’s natural
flesh and blood, he must have had his beginning with Mary; but it is
written that he has neither beginning of days, nor end of life. Heb.
7:3. And the Word would not have become flesh, if he had assumed flesh
from Mary; nor would he have come in the flesh, as John declares; but
he would have come from the flesh, had he assumed it from Mary. John
1:14; 2 John 7. And it is written: He that confesseth not that Christ
is come in the flesh, is that spirit of antichrist. 1 John 4:3. And
if he were such a carnal man, he could not have ascended to heaven;
for it is written (1 Cor. 15:50) that flesh and blood will not inherit
the kingdom of God.” _Priest._ “Still, did not the angel Gabriel say
to Mary: Thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son?” Luke 1:31; Is.
7:14. _Claes._ “Well, understand the word rightly; for he said: Thou
shalt conceive, and bring forth; now, what Mary conceived, could not
grow from her.” _Priest._ “What word became flesh?” _Claes._ “The same
word of which John testifies to us, in his first epistle, saying: That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
of the Word of life; for the life was manifested. 1 John 1:1; John
9:37; 20:27. What else do you want to know?” _Priest._ “Where did
Christ assume his flesh, in heaven, or on earth?” _Claes._ “That which
I cannot prove with Scriptures, I will not say.” _Priest._ “Don’t you
believe anything but what is written?” _Claes._ “No.” _Priest._ “You
certainly believe that you have a soul; but what do you know as to
what your soul is, how large, how long, how wide, or of what color it
is?” _Claes._ “What does that concern me? my salvation does not lie
in that.” _Priest._ “You believe that the dead will rise; but how can
any one comprehend that what has perished will rise and become alive?”
_Claes._ “I am well satisfied with the explanation Paul has written,” 1
Cor. 15. _Priest._ “Do you not believe that Mary is mother and virgin?”
_Claes._ “Yes.” The priest smote his hand upon the table, drew himself
up to his full height, and said: “This you cannot prove to me; we find
nothing of this kind written in the Scriptures.” _Claes._ “The prophet
Isaiah prophesied that he should be born of a virgin. Is. 7:14. Again,
when Gabriel said to Mary: Thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son;
Mary answered: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Luke
1:31,34. _Priest._ “Yes, thus you may glean it here and there; but that
she remained virgin until her death?” _Claes._ “This I do not say.”
_Priest._ “That is what I mean. And what do you think of the Supper? do
you not believe that when Christ took bread, and gave thanks, and brake
it, saying: ‘Take, eat; this is my body;’ he gave them his natural
flesh and blood?” _Claes._ “No,” _Priest._ “Did he not say: Except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life
in you? And did he not say that this was the true heavenly bread, which
came down from heaven?” John 6:53,51. _Claes._ “The bread of which
Christ speaks (John 6), is this the bread which you give the people to
eat, namely, which you people call the sacrament?” _Priest._ “Yea, it
is the same which he left us.” _Claes._ “According to this, then, no
one will be damned of all those that eat of it; for Christ said: If any
man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; but now every one comes,
whores, knaves, thieves, murderers, of whom it is written that they
shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven.” Gal. 5:21. _Priest._ “They
have sorrow for their sins, before they receive it; and the Lord said:
If the sinner sighs over his transgression, I will remember it no more
forever.” Ezek. 18:21.
In regard to this we had much discussion; but it is too long to write.
At last I asked the priest, whether he believed that when he takes
the host into his mouth, he receives Christ’s body, in flesh and
blood, as large as he hung on the tree of the cross? _Priest._ “Yes.”
_Claes._ “When you swallow him, where does he go then?” The priest
was highly offended. The chief Judge asked me: “Why could you not be
satisfied with your first baptism, but had yourself baptized a second
time?” _Claes._ “I know of but one baptism.” Eph. 4:5. _Priest._ “Your
sponsors well know that you were baptized once; you can ask them.”
_Claes._ “Though I had known that I was baptized, yet I now know that
it was done without faith; but it is written (Romans 14:23): Whatsoever
is not of faith is sin.” _Chief Judge._ “Your sponsors believed.”
_Claes._ “I do not know that the apostles baptized any one, unless
he himself believed, and confessed his faith. But what did I confess
when I was baptized in infancy?” _Priest._ “Ask your sponsors. And
what do you think of our father the Pope, and his dominion?” _Claes._
“The Pope, with all his trumpery, and mass, and all that is therein,
is good for nothing, bag and baggage. You priests sell masses to the
people, by the dozen, by twenties and thirties at a time; they have
neither edge nor point; they neither cut nor stab; and yet you promise
the people that they are good and effectual--is this not deception?
You preach to the people, that one should not drink to excess, and you
go about the streets, as drunk as hogs. You preach that one ought not
to be covetous; but where is more covetousness than in the priests and
monks? You preach that one ought not to be idle; but where is more
idleness than among you? You will rather tramp from door to door with a
bag or basket, than work, as may be seen.” The priest was angry, rose,
and said: “This is the first thing you teach each other, to reveal
the failings of your neighbor.” _Claes._ “Why should we not apply the
knowledge Christ has given us, when he says that the tree shall be
known by its fruit.” _Priest._ “This is to be spiritually understood;”
and he went out of the room.
The chief Judge asked me whether I would renounce my second baptism,
and all that I had said. I replied: “No, my lords, I will in no wise
deny that which was administered to me in the name of the Lord.”
Hearing this, the chief Judge arose. Then they rose and began to
go out. I then thanked them, that they had been molested with me.
The chief Judge turned around, and asked me again, whether I would
renounce; or I should see what should result to me from it. Then my
heart was enkindled to tell him and the other Judges, that they should
take heed what they were doing, and I said: “My lords, renounce I
will in no wise, and what will result to me from it, according to the
imperial mandate, I well know; but there are two mandates, the one
from the supreme King, the other from the mortal Emperor, and these
two run counter to each other; the one says that both are to be let
grow, the good with the bad; the other that the tares are to be rooted
up. Therefore, my lords, I pray you, to warn the other Judges, that
they consider what is the best; for you have not received the sword,
to punish the innocent.” I told them a great deal, as the Lord gave me
utterance. He stood there, with his cap in his hand, as did also the
other Judge, and the jailer, and they kept very silent. Finally they
prayed God, that he would grant me my greatest happiness, and went away.
Thus I greet the whole church, scattered in every country, with the
peace of the Lord; for I now expect from day to day, to offer up my
sacrifice. Pray God to keep me steadfast unto the end. I pray daily for
you.
WRITTEN IN BONDS.
GERRIT HASEPOOT BURNED, A. D. 1556.
In the summer of 1556 there was in the city of Nimeguen, a faithful
brother, named Gerrit Hasepoot, a tailor by trade. Having fled from the
city, on account of severe persecution, he secretly returned, since
his wife and children were still living there. He was seen by the
Bailiff’s guard, who reported it to their master. The Bailiff, a very
bloodthirsty man, immediately went after him, and took him with him.
Thus this friend of Christ had to separate from his wife and children,
and go into prison, tribulation and misery, for the name of Jesus.
When very severely examined by the lords of this world, he freely
confessed his faith, and was not ashamed of the truth. Rom. 1:16. He
was therefore sentenced to death by them, that is, to be burnt at the
stake, which sentence he received very bravely. This having taken
place, his wife came to him, into the city hall, to speak with him
once more, and to take leave and bid her dear husband farewell. She
had in her arm an infant, which she could scarcely hold, because of her
great grief. When wine was poured out to him, as is customary to do to
those sentenced to death (Prov. 31:6), he said to his wife: “I have no
desire for this wine; but I hope to drink the new wine, which will be
given to me above in the kingdom of my Father.” Thus the two separated
with great grief, and bade each other adieu in this world; for the
woman could hardly stand on her feet any longer, but seemed to fall
into a swoon through grief. When he was led to death, and having been
brought from the wagon upon the scaffold, he lifted up his voice, and
sang the hymn:
“Father in heaven, I call:
O strengthen now my faith.”
Thereupon he fell upon his knees, and fervently prayed to God. Having
been placed at the stake, he kicked his slippers from his feet, saying:
“It were a pity to burn them for they can be of service still to some
poor person.” The rope with which he was to be strangled, becoming a
little loose, having not been twisted well by the executioner, he again
lifted up his voice, and sang the end of said hymn:
“Brethren, sisters, all, good-bye!
We now must separate,
Till we meet beyond the sky,
With Christ our only Head:
For this yourselves prepare,
And I’ll await you there.”
The executioner again twisting the rope, this witness of Jesus fell
asleep in the Lord, and was burnt, voluntarily surrendering for the
truth, his perishable body, which he had received from God, and thus
fought the fight, finished his course, and kept the faith, and there is
now laid up for him the crown of eternal glory.
Previous to the year 1557, under the reign of the Palsgrave of the
Rhine, several of those baptized according to the ordinance of Christ
were cast into prison, and exiled from the country, as appears from the
preface to the _Frankenthalische Gespraech_, and also in the preface to
the _Oude Offerboeck_, of the year 1616, letter Y, on the other side.
From this it appears that the Baptist Christians at this time had
to suffer not only from the Romanists, but also from those who had
forsaken the Roman church and many of her superstitions; from which it
may be seen what great distress the church of God then had to suffer,
insomuch that freedom of conscience was nowhere to be found, since
among the papists they were deprived of their lives, and among other
denominations of the liberty to practice their religious worship.
HANS BRAEL SEVERELY PERSECUTED A. D. 1557.