sin, and lying in wickedness, that he spared not his only Son, but sent
him from his glory in heaven, and delivered him up to the ignominious
and cursed death of the cross, that whosoever believeth, should not
perish or be condemned, but, through the love, mercy and grace made
manifest through Christ, be acquitted, blessed, redeemed, cleansed from
sin, protected from the wrath to come, wooed, wedded and exalted as
his chosen bride, obedient wife (Hos. 2:20), and glorious queen, and
his eternal and imperishable kingdom, and live with joy unspeakable;
whereas we were so unclean in our sins, polluted in our blood, no one
attending to us (Ezek. 16), taken captive by the devil at his will,
and sentenced by God, according to his justice, to eternal death and
damnation.
“Now let us well consider and advise with ourselves, according to the
simile of the criminal, imprisoned harlot under the sword or at the
stake. Let us well examine ourselves, whether we have risen from our
sins, amended, and still daily amend, and whether we have rightly
accepted, by the faith which worketh by love, this love, grace and
redemption of God, made manifest through Christ, and whether we in
return love God, keep his commandments, and are afraid of offending him.
“The world was by nature corrupted by sin, and judged or sentenced to
condemnation, so that Christ did not come to judge or to condemn that
which was already judged, but to redeem from judgment and condemnation
all those who rightly, by faith, accept his grace (Tit. 2:11), that is,
those who die unto and forsake their sinful life, repent and amend; in
a word, those who are born again, and live after the Spirit (John 3;
Rom. 8), as the Scriptures abundantly testify in many places.
“But the others, who do not rightly accept, by faith, unto the
amendment of their entire life, according to the holy word of the Lord,
this love, grace and redemption, abide notwithstanding, held captive
by their sins, under the condemnation and wrath of God, and will on
account of their unbelief, impenitence and unrighteousness not see the
kingdom of God, nor inherit eternal life, because they still continue
in sin, and thus cannot receive redemption and forgiveness of sins; and
if they have once received it, yet, when their new sins exceed the
old ones, it may go worse with them than before, because they are so
ungrateful, and do not keep their promise of amendment. For Christ bore
our sins in his own body on the tree of the cross (on this condition of
our amendment), that we believers, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed. For we were as sheep
going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our
souls. 1 Pet. 2:24,25. From this we may clearly perceive, that those
who do not die unto their sins, nor live according to righteousness,
are not yet healed or redeemed by the stripes and death of Christ; for
they are not yet by faith returned unto God, from their sins, wherein
they still live. Hence they in vain assure themselves, of eternal life,
and of their redemption by the death of Christ, since they are still
bound by their sins. Either they must turn from their sins to God,
obediently to serve him all the days of their life, in all holiness and
righteousness of faith which is pleasing in his sight; or they still
remain captive, unbelieving and condemned, as the Scriptures declare
more abundantly than I can designate; for I have never had a Bible in
prison. Let each examine himself. 2 Cor. 13:5.
“Mark now, how poor mankind receive redemption and salvation, as
they think. One hears and sees openly enough that almost the entire
population of Europe are called believing Christians, though by their
wicked works they hardly show that they are natural men, since they
live more unnatural than irrational beasts. Nevertheless, they are
taught by their teachers, that they are called children and heirs of
God (Ezek. 13:10), which they also claim they are, being so firmly
persuaded of and settled in it, that there are very few of them who can
be turned, advised, helped or drawn out of the prison, water, or fire
of damnation (Jude 23); for they are already too wise in themselves,
already helped, and delivered from death as they think and say, though
in this their sinful life and ungodliness, they lie enveloped in
perdition; and clothed with a beautiful name, being called Christians
and children of God, though they lead a worse life than do Jews, Turks,
or Saracens, who do not pretend to be Christians, as these, who so
openly and shamelessly forsake Christ, in idolatry with wood and stone,
which they call an excellent worship; in avarice which they style only
industry; in pride, which with them is only neatness; in lasciviousness
and adultery, which they term only friendship; in drunkenness, which
they call enjoyment, pleasure, glee, good naturedness, or good cheer,
even as they know how to name and varnish over every form of wickedness
and sin, as though they were nothing but virtue and righteousness. As
though they were blameless, many of them are not willing to be reproved
for the lusts of their flesh, in dicing, gambling, singing, jumping,
dancing, strutting, boasting, in order to be nowhere the least, but
everywhere the first, if possible; in vain, false, and renowned arts
of earthly worldly and carnal wisdom; in litigating, sueing, swearing;
in subtle, fraudulent, wicked inventions and traffics; in lying,
cheating, quarreling, cursing, fighting, and killing, if not in deed,
then with the heart; in hatred and envy, defaming, backbiting, foolish
talking, jesting, joking, unprofitableness, impropriety, in all manner
of lustfulness and wantonness. This is nearly everywhere as common as
daily bread; herein and herewith they spend, abuse and fritter away,
to the perdition of their souls, the precious time of grace, their
life, and every good creature of God; which good gifts of God we have
received from his grace for our good, thereby obediently to serve our
God and Creator blessed forever, to the honor of God, the salvation of
our souls, and the edification and love of our neighbor. For God is not
willing that any should perish, neither has he pleasure in the death of
sinners; but he is longsuffering, and waits for all to repent and will
have all men to come to the knowledge of the truth, and be saved. 2
Pet. 3:9; Ezek. 33:11; 18:32; 1 Timothy 2:4.
“What more should our Lord God do for man, than he has done? Does not
then men’s condemnation proceed from their unbelief, disobedience,
neglect, abuse, guilt, sin, obduracy, and ingratitude, because
they will not by faith unto repentance accept this grace and
incomprehensible love of God? But they reject this repentance, and
would still enjoy this grace and salvation in their sinful life, from
which they do not turn.[296] For since men have also the freedom to
abuse themselves or their own life, and every creature of God, though
this is not the will of God, only he permits it, therefore men, by
their first birth, live contrary to the word and will of God, hence,
unnaturally, disobediently, ungratefully, unreasonably, heedlessly,
according to the will of the devil, are devilishly and carnally minded,
covetous and ambitious, unmannerly, immodest, faithless, perjured,
hateful, envious, unmerciful, without compassion, impatient, morose,
cruel, and revengeful; in short, had men the power of wealth, and of
their body, and were there no human authority which they fear and dread
more than God, men might live in such an inhuman manner that we might
almost have a hell upon earth; for though now men are feared more than
God, still it is altogether too bad.[297]
[296] See whether a criminal is pardoned, if he is not willing to
amend his ways.
[297] Many think they are good Christians, because they do not steal
or commit murder, and because they do not perpetrate violence or
highway robbery, or because they refrain from evils which they can or
dare not do; however, this is no virtue in their case.
“Many that are poor refrain from drunkenness because they have no money
or pledge, while the rich may refrain from it on account of their honor
or pride, or because they have no company according to their liking,
or because they wish to preserve their health and mind; and for such
reasons also lasciviousness is avoided. Men often refrain from stealing
on account of the gallows, and from murder because of the wheel; in
short, every sin is left uncommitted more on account of constraint,
shame, and fear of men, than from voluntary goodness for the Lord’s
sake. And though men are so devoid of shame and given up to evil that
they openly keep brothels, and live far more detestably than beasts;
they are nevertheless called Christians, and claim to be children and
heirs of God by grace. How much more then those who manage it a little
more decently and secretly, as they think, though they frequently are
much worse? Can one do worse, than those who without shame live in
adultery and other secret sins, when God the Lord knows every secret
of the heart? Rev. 2:23; 16:7. O if men’s sins were written on their
foreheads, how constantly would they keep in the house, and conceal
themselves in corners, holes and dens, so as not to be seen by men.
“But they are not ashamed before God, nor afraid of him, from whom
they cannot hide; and who can kill the body, and cast both it and
the soul into the fire of hell. Intelligent and impartial reader or
hearer, prove whether these false Christians in this their improper
and unchristian life can be saved through God’s mercy and the death of
Christ, or not? even as they presumptuously say, that the kingdom of
heaven is for them, and not for the beasts, and besides utter so much
nonsense, as though they were raving, as they also are, so that a true
Christian may well be ashamed and afraid to see or hear their madness
and their unrighteous works. 2 Pet. 2:8.
“O depraved and wanton men! Though the Jews, because they were called
Abraham’s seed, claimed to be God’s children, Christ showed them that
a thief, liar and murderer from the beginning, even the devil, was
their father, because their works were evil. John 8:44. This may have
seemed strange to them, even as it may seem strange to those who obey
not the Gospel of Christ, that according to the testimony of the holy
Scriptures they are called, and are servants of sin (Rom. 6:20), an
evil and perverse generation of serpents, vipers and adders (Matt.
3:7), the seed of the devil, children and heirs of wrath (Eph. 2:3),
accursed and of eternal damnation, seed of Cain, Ishmaelites, filthy
swine, devouring dogs, ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt.
7:15), that is, under the cloak of sanctity, uncircumcised, gentiles,
aliens and strangers from the covenants of the promise of eternal life,
who have no part in the kingdom of God, though they entertain a vain
hope of it; without God, without Christ, godless and idolatrous in the
world. These evil works are the nets, snares, fetters, blocks, chains,
bonds, and imprisonments, with which the prince of this world, the
devil, who works in the children of disobedience holds men captive,
blinded and bound at his will. Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26. And so long
as the false Christians go or creep about bound by their sins, and
entangled in their unrighteousness, they boast in vain and heap one
great lie on top of another, when they boast that through Christ they
are redeemed and freed from their sins, when they still live in their
toils, and because of their unbelief and disobedience are predestinated
unto eternal damnation, unless they turn from their sins to God, and by
faith rightly receive his grace unto repentance; whereby they will not
perish, but are predestinated to eternal life, and become vessels of
honor prepared unto glory, according to my simple view. Rom. 9:23.
“Mark what Christians these are, because they say that there is a
gracious God, which the devil also believes, and trembles; moreover,
they say that they are sorry for their sins, and still they go on in
them, the longer the more, the older the worse, and under the cloak of
the grace of God commit all kinds of sin, the one in this, another in
that, so that no wickedness is left undone. Let every one search the
secrecy of his heart, and he will better understand and find what I,
prisoner, here write. One man cannot alone commit all these sins, for
his life is too short and insufficient. For it is generally seen that
sins leave men when sickness or old age comes, which, however, does
not tend to their repentance, amendment, or salvation, though many
who are robust and healthy abandon and deceive themselves, saying: I
shall repent when I am old, when I lie upon my death bed, or I care not
longer to serve the world; if any one sorrows for his sins then, and
the end is good, all is well.
“O vain consolation! for what kind of repentance can that be, when
one is no longer able to commit sin and wickedness? it is nothing but
mocking the Lord, sinning presumptuously, and rejecting his grace. O
that all men captive in sin at the will of the devil (2 Tim. 2:26),
would always consider this, and thus give the more diligence, so that
through grace their souls might become disengaged and free from the
snares of the devil, or sin; even as a prisoner according to the body
gives diligence to obtain his liberty, so as to escape bodily death
for a brief and uncertain time yet, though he ultimately cannot escape
it. If men believed that God is just, and that he will not suffer any
evil to go unpunished in impenitent sinners, they would be terrified,
and through fear of God’s righteous judgment forsake their sins; but
now they are comforted in their misfortune by their preachers, with
flattering words and soothing sermons, with grace, peace, mercy and
salvation; whereas they ought to be reproved for their sins, and
threatened with the anger, wrath, fury and displeasure of God (Rom.
2:8), and eternal damnation, so that they might repent while the door
of grace is open for a little while yet. 2 Cor. 6:2.
“I know of nothing that so securely and firmly holds men in the sleep
of sin till the Lord comes as a thief in the night, as to call good
evil (Isa. 5:20), the Gospel a sect (of which all manner of evil
and falsehoods are spoken), and to change the truth into lies. The
Christians are called heretics and deceivers; every good work, virtue
and righteousness is so misnamed, perverted, painted in such abominable
colors, and the worst construction put upon them, so that men are
afraid of them, as though they would be led astray by the truth, and of
God. The devil, on the other hand does not appear half so ugly as he is
represented and I have here described him, but disguised by a beautiful
semblance of love, and changed and transformed into an angel of light,
as though he were sent of God, and were himself God. 2 Thess. 2:4.
Then are his lies called nothing less than Gospel and truth; Babylon
is called the church of God; idolaters are styled my lords; lying and
cheating are termed prudence and cleverness; fighting is called valor,
and murder, simply misfortune; and thus, many like shameful deeds,
upon which an honorable construction is put, so that evil is called
good. But woe unto such, as Isaiah says. Is. 5:20. Thus, the ministers
and children of the devil know how to change, gloss over, name, and
construe in the most favorable light into good works virtues, and all
manner of righteousnesses, all their evil works, vices, sins, and
manifold unrighteousnesses; as, avarice into industry and pride into
neatness.
“Who can reprove them therein? And therewith the devil blinds them
so artfully and firmly to his will, so that they think themselves to
be pious Christians, and are not willing to be reproved by the truth
for their sins, but claim to be unblamable children of God; moreover,
they say, like Christ’s disciples: “Our Father, etc.” But let every
one examine himself, whether he is born of God, because he knows how
to palliate his sins; and whether he so sanctifies and adorns the name
of God, and does his will, and whether he carries himself before God
as an obedient child before his father; otherwise he joins lie upon
lie in his prayer, which in that case is a curse and an abomination
before God. In short, he that committeth sin is born of the devil, and
knoweth not God, John 8:44; 1 John 3:8; and they that are carnally
minded cannot please God. Hence, mark whom impenitent sinners call upon
as their father. Blind indeed must he be who cannot perceive this, and
hardened he that is not willing to repent.
“O dear reader or hearer, if I may pray you, it is my heartfelt
desire of you, that you would always consider (and regulate yourself
accordingly,) that men shall give an account of every idle word they
have spoken; how much more then of their deeds. And every one shall
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad; namely, before the righteous judgment of
God, where anger, hatred, envy, yea, not loving in deed and in truth,
speaking scornfully or spitefully to one’s brother, Raca, thou fool, or
offending him, will be deemed and judged murder, worthy of the council,
of judgment, and of hell fire. Matthew 5:22; 1 John 3. In like manner,
disobedience will be regarded as witchcraft; to look upon a woman to
lust after her, as adultery; and any other evil which is desired with
the heart, and consented to with the will (though the power for, and
the commission of it be wanting), will be judged and punished as an
accomplished evil work. 1 Sam. 15:23; Matt. 5:28. Not to keep his word,
will be considered lying and perjury, and a good oath, so called, will
be as severely recompensed as a bad oath; for Christ has prohibited all
swearing; Matt. 5, as also to hate one’s enemies, and not to love them
like one’s friends; and many like things. Now mark how adultery was
punished under the law by the judges; for those who committed adultery
were stoned to death. Lev. 20:10. And it is daily seen, how witchcraft,
homicide or murder are punished by the secular lords with fire or the
sword unto death. Mark, how Adam, for one sin, likewise Cain, then
the whole world, with the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the adjacent
cities, with fire and brimstone, Egypt, and afterwards the idolaters
in Israel and murmurers against Moses, were punished according to the
justice of God, for our example. Of how much sorer punishment then are
they worthy who murmur against Christ, change his truth into lies, and
do not receive his grace and redemption by faith, unto the amendment of
their life, but reject the same, living presumptuously in their sins.
Heb. 10:29; Rom. 1:25. God who did not spare the angels who had sinned,
will also not spare those who through unbelief are unrighteous and
false Christians, but punish them with a sorer punishment than Sodom
and Gomorrah, which were turned into ashes and condemned and overthrown
for an example unto all them that commit ungodliness, and do not
repent. 2 Pet. 2:4,6; Jude 6; Matt. 11:24; 2 Pet. 3.
“If then we are to be saved through God’s mercy, we must repent,
must be obedient children of God, born again of him, and must follow
Christ in the regeneration and the footsteps of faith, through the
narrow way unto eternal life; nor are we then saved through the merit
of good works, but by the grace which came through Christ. Eph. 2:5.
For though we lived holy, blameless, and perfect in all righteousness
(as the Scriptures require), and suffered for the truth a death more
bitter than that of Christ which with us men is impossible, yet we
could not be saved through our own good works, but only by God’s mercy,
and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has wrought out our
salvation. And if we sought or placed our salvation in our good works
or our sufferings, we should commit idolatry, and we were our own
idol, if we trusted in ourselves. But now our salvation depends only
on the mercy of God, and not on our running and following after. Rom.
9:16. Though we should run and follow after ever so well (which is our
bounden duty), so that we attained, and already had, the perfection
(that for which we are apprehended of Christ), and had done all those
things which are commanded us, and which it is our duty to do, we were
yet only unprofitable servants. Philip. 3:12; Luke 17:10. How much
more unprofitable then are we now, with our many defects, though we
willingly strive after and should gladly perform that which is good,
and are sorry that we are not perfect[298]. Hence we have great reason,
and are in duty bound, to humble ourselves very low under the abundant
grace of God, and to pray; for eternal life is a gift of God, and not a
debt or reward proceeding from our labor, merit, or good works; for we
are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which
God hath before prepared that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10),
as is our duty to do, in the least as well as in the greatest. But the
wages of sin is death; hence we must hate and fear sin, that we do not
consent to or commit it, if we want to be saved by the grace and gift
of God. Thus, we are delivered through Christ from the bonds of the
devil, or sin; let therefore no one say or hope that he is saved by his
good works, which are far too insufficient. That, also, no one say:
“Should we not take thought, should we not gain a livelihood, else on
what should we live? except to them who say that one is not to support
himself by the labor of his hands, but to go idle.” Matt. 6:25; Luke
12:22; Eph. 4:28. And that, also, no one say: “No man knows the hour
and the day of the Lord, except to those who have set the hour and the
day, from doing which may the Lord keep me.” Mark 13:32; Matt. 24:42;
Luke 12:40. Beware of frivolous babblers, for scorners will speedily
come to an end. 1 Cor. 15:33. And if, when you speak your mind, or
reprove with meekness that which does not meet your approbation, and
one resist you in the good, be silent instantly, that you may retain
your peace and the tranquillity of your conscience. If it vex you, do
nevertheless not engage in contention, that you may be found in peace
when the Lord comes. 2 Pet. 3:14. We must here at any rate suffer
violence and wrong; but it will not last long; hence, let us possess
our souls in patience. Luke 21:19.
[298] That no one say: We cannot be perfect; except to those who say
that they are perfect. There is nothing so good as that men will not
contradict it, even with the Scriptures.
“The fourteenth week of my imprisonment, the first day of January, so
called, A. D. 1568. I trust that the present year will not pass like
the former. Watch and pray, for you know neither the day nor hour; but
the godfearing may consider whether this is the year in which the Lord
will deliver his elect and believers; let every one take warning.”
JAN THIELEMANS AND JOB JANS, BURNT TO DEATH FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS
CHRIST, IN THE HAGUE, IN HOLLAND, IN THE YEAR 1568.
Hands were now laid in the Hague, on the beloved friends of the Lord,
so that they did not hesitate to deprive them of their lives with
flaming fire.
This became apparent in the case of two very pious and godfearing men,
one of whom was named Jan Thielemans, the other Job Jans. To both of
them, at that place, because they faithfully adhered to the Lord their
God, and could by no torture be moved from the steadfastness of their
faith, their sentence of death was read in court, namely, that, in
pursuance with the decrees of the Emperor, and the King of Spain (who
called himself Count of Holland), they should be put to death with fire
as heretics; which was executed on the 18th of December, A. D. 1568, on
both of them, after they had committed their souls into the hands of
God.
_Further observation, concerning the death sentences of the
aforementioned martyrs._
We have this year, 1659, on this occasion, through some of our friends
in the Hague, requested by way of authenticated copy, the use of the
proceedings of the court, from the criminal records of the year 1568,
but especially of the death sentences of the aforementioned martyrs (as
recorded by the papists), which, as appears, are still extant in the
original; but as A. D. 1648 peace was made with Spain, with condition
of forgiving each other all previous wrongs, and consequently, to
mention them no more, the actuary was afraid to make out a copy of
these particulars, as well as concerning others of our fellow believers
that were put to death during the papistical reign, fearing it might
tend to their reproach, and prove detrimental to the peace concluded.