city, at present a prisoner here, unmindful of his soul’s salvation,
and the obedience which he owed to our mother the holy church, and to
His Imperial Majesty, as his natural lord and prince, rejecting the
ordinances of the holy church, has been neither to confession nor to
the holy sacrament for ten years past, and has further dared repeatedly
to go into the assembly of the reprobated sect of the Mennonists or
Anabaptists, and has also, about eight years ago, renouncing and
forsaking the baptism received by him in his infancy from the holy
church, been rebaptized, and afterwards repeatedly received the
breaking of bread according to the manner of the aforesaid sect, and
also attended the assembly of the aforesaid sect, without speaking
to them when they met together; and though he, the prisoner, has, by
my lords of the court as well as by divers ecclesiastical persons,
been urged, and repeatedly admonished, to forsake the aforementioned
reprobated sect, and to return to our mother, the holy church, he
nevertheless refuses to do it, persisting in his obstinacy and
stubbornness, so that he, the prisoner, according to what has been
mentioned, has committed crime against divine and human majesty, as
by said sect perturbing the common peace and welfare of the country,
according to the import of the decrees of His Majesty existing in
regard to this; which misdemeanors, for an example unto others, ought
not to go unpunished; therefore, my lords of the court, having heard
the demand of my lord the bailiff, and seen the confession of the
prisoner, and having had regard to his obstinacy and stubbornness, have
condemned said prisoner, and by these presents, do condemn him to be
executed with fire, according to the decrees of His Royal Majesty, and
declare all his property confiscated for the benefit of His Majesty
aforesaid. Done in court, on the 26th of June, A. D. 1571, in the
presence of all the judges, by the advice of Cornelis Jacobss Brouwer,
and Hendrick Cornelis, burgomasters; I being present as secretary.
Subscribed.
W. PIETERSS.
THE TWO TORTURINGS OF GERRIT CORNELISS, ACCORDING TO THE RECORD IN THE
BOOK OF CRIMINAL SENTENCES AT AMSTERDAM.
He was tortured twice, namely, on the 27th of April, and on the 3d of
May, A. D. 1571, according to the sentence of the judges, as appears
from the record of the confession.
Thus extracted from the book of criminal sentences of the city of
Amsterdam, preserved in the archives there.
N. N.
A LETTER FROM HENDRICK VERSTRALEN TO HIS WIFE, WRITTEN IN THE YEAR
1571, IN PRISON AT RIJPERMONDE, WHERE HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE
NAME OF THE LORD.
The abundant great grace of God, that comes to us from the Father,
through Christ his only Son; and the immeasurable riches of the Holy
Ghost, whereby we are now kept unto eternal life, among this wicked and
perverse generation, this only and eternal God of all grace keep you,
my dearest wife and sister in the Lord, my flesh, my bone, the dearest
among all creatures on earth. For this I have confessed more than
once before the lords, if the whole world were mine, I would give it,
if I could keep my wife and children with a good conscience; but for
the Lord’s sake I must now contrary to nature forsake everything--the
spirit must overcome the flesh. O my Janneken, my lamb, how hard it is
for me to part from you and the children; O how deep you are buried in
my heart; which is now a great conflict for me; may the Lord help me
to gain the victory, so that the crown of life may be prepared for me,
with all the elect saints of God; who have forsaken everything for the
Lord’s sake. O my dear wife, my lamb, my love, I thank you from the
depths of my soul, for your consoling letter, which you sent me; and
may the Lord grant his eternal life to all those that by counsel or
deed lent their aid in the matter. The letter removed a greater weight
from my heart, than all the riches on the face of the earth are worth.
O what a good thing it is, to remember the prisoners; how welcome came
this Habakkuk to me, who fed me poor prisoner in my soul, here in the
lion’s den; for a little morsel that comes from without strengthens me
ten times more than what I have with me. Hist. of the Drag. 33, etc.
O my dear wife and sister in the Lord, I pray you for the Lord’s sake,
who am now bound for his sake, adhere to the truth, as the church at
Antwerp and Ghent stands. Keep with them that truly fear God, and the
God of all comfort will be with you, yea, God and his holy church shall
feed you, and my young lambs, of this I have no doubt. If you continue
in the fear of the Lord, and cast all your care upon him, though you
are now poor; my sister and beloved wife, you will have much wealth, if
you fear God and eschew sin, as I trust you will. Tob. 4:21.
I further pray you; my dearest wife, take care as long as you live, of
my young lambs, my Susanneken, my Abrahamken, and my Isaaken, that they
may be brought up in the fear of God. O with what scalding tears do I
pray to my God, to let them grow up in his fear, or to take them to him
in their youth.
O my dearest love on earth, Janneken Verstralen, kiss all my children
once for me, and tell my Susanken, that it is her father’s wish,
that she be obedient to her mother in the fear of God; and learn to
be diligent to help her dear mother, to earn bread for her little
brothers, and you my Janneken, my love, remember me your imprisoned
husband, and bound for the eternal truth, and for the sake of the
testimony of Jesus, in your prayers. This I pray you and all godfearing
brethren and sisters, to help us pray to God, that we may gain the
victory of a good fight, that God will now teach my fingers to war and
my arm to bend the bow of steel, so that by faith I may break through
a troop, and leap by my God over a wall (Ps. 18:34,29); so that we may
say with Paul: The fight is fought, the course is finished, the crown
of life is laid up for us. 2 Tim. 4:8. Maeyken and I are determined
to use such force in order to take the kingdom of God, that flesh and
blood shall remain on the posts and stakes. We are not permitted to
stay together; however we have been together three times, yet through
strategy; the first time, when the disputer came from Ghent. Then all
the lords came too, and I began to say to them with what calamity they
should be punished who now imbrued their hands in the blood of the
innocent. Then they cast down their eyes; but a flatterer began to
speak, saying, that I had most gravely accused all the lords. In short,
I felt that he was the one who was to dispute with me; hence I finally
feigned as though I could not defend myself, and spoke pleasantly to
the lords, and requested that they should let Maeyken hear it; “for
I see, said I, that you are anxious to help me, and in this wise you
will have the trouble only once; if you help one you help them both.”
They therefore consented to it; then we began to defend ourselves,
and it lasted until long in the afternoon. After dinner we met again,
but Maeyken was not allowed to come to me. We then began to have some
very sharp words; hence they changed their tactics, and began to speak
pleasantly, saying, whether I dared not do like Paul, and, contrary
to my views, circumcise Timothy, and shave my head; yea, secretly he
said, whether I dared not with Judith cut off Holofernes’ head, though
it were not the truth, that I should do all that I should promise;
whether it were not the same God, and whether one might now not lie
as well as then, for the sake of some good end; for it is written, he
said: “If it be possible, live peaceably with all men.” Rom. 12:18. I
requested time for consideration, whether I could do it with truth and
a good conscience. We then parted, and they said they desired nothing
else. They returned another time, and asked to what conclusion I had
come; and I constantly sought to be with Maeyken; but it could not well
be. I then said: “Let us come together; I hope always to do what is
possible.” Then Maeyken came to me, and I presented the matter to her
as they had done to me, whereupon she said: “How should this be? should
the dog return to his own vomit?” 2 Peter 2:22. I then told them, that
they should let me speak with Maeyken alone, and they permitted it. I
then told Maeyken, that no man living should persuade me of this, that
the priests’ matters are right, “they know it well,” said I, “but they
seek to be rid of us; but we will live and die together.” Thus we said
that we should consider the matter, with which they were satisfied.
At another time they took Maeyken alone, but had me come too. When I
came, and was there, I perceived that they showed us great friendship
and promised much to set us into the street as free as we had ever
been, for which they would pledge their souls; so that I finally became
frightened, fearing that I might be led astray by their fair speeches.
They also had more hope of winning me, than Maeyken; hence I fell upon
my knees, and entreated them, not to trouble themselves any more with
us; for I have besought my God with many tears day and night, that he
would keep me in his truth; and hence I would live or die with the
Lord. Then Maeyken leaped up for joy, for she had thought that I had
given it up, since I had come in with a sad countenance. “Now I am
glad,” she said, “for I thought, that I should have to die alone.” But
when I perceived that Maeyken had such thoughts concerning me, I fell
upon my knees, and said: “I am very sorry for this.” Thus we shook
hands, and kissed each other, and rejoiced greatly together, but our
adversaries were greatly grieved. I would have written these things
more neatly, but I cannot make these writing materials do good service.
Furthermore, my dearest wife, my lamb, my love, I inform you, that I
am little burdened in my conscience, the Lord be forever praised for
it; but all my sadness is caused by the bitterness of our parting.
But, my dear lamb, this I would like to ask of you, because you have
such a good nature that you could well live without a husband, that
you henceforth stay only with my children; for often great sorrow
arises from marrying again. And wherein I ever grieved you through
my weakness, I ask your forgiveness, for the sake of the Lord’s deep
wounds and innocent death. Greet much all the godfearing, and the babes
that are nourished at the breasts of Zion in my name with the peace of
the Lord. Serres, you broken bone-head, and J. van G. help to care for
my poor widow and little orphans, knowing, that therein you will not
serve man, but God. I much greet H. C. M. and A. and L. and C. O how
gladly I would write neatly, had I good materials. Adieu, my flesh and
blood; kiss Susanneken for me. O adieu for me, adieu, adieu, my dear
wife. Pray our dear Lord for me for a blessed end.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM HENDRICK VERSTRALEN TO HIS WIFE.
O my dearest wife, my flesh, my bone, my dear friend, my lamb, not on
my heart, but in my heart, and henceforth my poor widow, whom I must
leave according to the pleasure, goodness, will and counsel of God, who
has deemed it well that I should according to his pleasure lie in bonds
here for his eternal truth’s sake, which, my dear wife and sister in
the Lord, I hope by the grace of God to seal with my death, to pay now
the obedience which we owe to God, that is, the denying of ourselves,
that we may love nothing above him, neither father, nor mother, nor
wife, nor child, nor our own life; or God threatens us with his eternal
judgment. He that loveth aught more than me can not be my disciple,
much less my son; and they that are not sons are bastards, who shall
have neither part nor inheritance with God. Eph. 5:5. And this is the
reason, my dear wife, that, though you and my little children lie so
deeply in my heart, you must, against my nature, be cast out from it;
for you may not be an idol to me, nor I to you, as much as we love our
dear-bought souls. 1 Cor. 6:20. Hence know by this, my dearest wife,
that I will commend you and my little children to the great, almighty,
and eternal God, who is rich in mercy over all them that fear and love
him, that through his goodness and great power he will bring you to
the eternal, glorious and undefiled inheritance among all them that
are sanctified. The God of all comfort, and Father of all grace, who
is called the true Father in heaven or upon earth, the same grant
you, my dear wife, Janneken Verstralen, that through his unfathomable
mercy, and immeasurable goodness, and the riches of his grace, may be
strengthened by his Holy Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ, his
blessed Son, may dwell in your heart by faith (Ephesians 3:16,17),
that you, my love, may be clothed with the cloak of righteousness and
have the loins of your mind girt about with the girdle of truth, and
the bond of love (6:14; Col. 3:14); yea, that the basket of grapes and
the bundle of myrrh may hang between both your breasts, in your heart,
namely, Christ Jesus, whereby you may be preserved from the pestilence
that walketh in darkness (Ps. 91:6), and thus shine with an eternal
crowns as a daughter born of royal seed, the living word of God, and
may gain the victory of a good fight: may this be done to the praise
and glory of the almighty God, and to the salvation of your soul. Amen.
This I, Hendrick Verstralen, your husband, prisoner in the Lord for
the eternal truth’s sake and the testimony of Christ, send to you, my
beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a salutation and good wish
of my heart, and as my last adieu. Adieu my dearest on earth; adieu,
sister in the Lord. O strong is the truth; it conquers all things, 1
Esd. 4:35. O my own rib, who are taken out of the middle of my body,
how should I not love you, you my wife, who loves my soul more than my
body, as I understand from your letter, which is a great joy to me,
and a perpetual comfort; I have read it with many tears. I thank you
much, my lamb, for your earnest solicitude for me. I further pray you,
my dear wife, whom I have wedded honorably before God and his church,
now that our parting is at hand, help us and all the godfearing to
pray and supplicate to God for a little while yet, until Maeyken, our
dear sister, and I your husband, who now are still in our greatest
conflict, under the bloody banner which Christ, the author of faith,
and chief captain, has borne himself in the midst of his saints, that
with him, we may through our death, overcome our enemies, with God nail
our flag to the mast, and with peace and rest enter into our chambers
(Isaiah 26:20), and wait for the coming of our Lord, who shall through
his grace raise us up from the earth unto life eternal. And, my dear
lamb, my flesh, my blood, be patient in your tribulation; continue now
with Judith and Anna the prophetess instant in prayer, serving your
God day and night, in the house of the Lord, which is his church. See,
my dear wife, I hope that you will do according to Paul’s advice (1
Cor. 7:32), now that you are unmarried; that you will serve the Lord
unhindered, and seek to please him, and to be holy in soul and body.
Hearken, my wife, my dearest love on earth, follow my advice for the
Lord’s sake; go and sell all that you can spare, which is little,
and live as plainly as possible, for a widow can get along with very
little; and seek an honorable, quiet girl that does not keep company
with youthful companions; and flee youthful lusts, and do the best
with my little children. The Lord shall care for you; he who gives the
wild ass his food in the wilderness, when he cries for thirst, and who
feeds the young ravens that cry unto God, as David says (Psalm 147:9),
will also feed you, my dear lamb, when you, my widow, my chosen lamb,
shall with my young orphans cry to God. Though your tears fall here
upon earth, they shall not cease until they penetrate the clouds and
appear before God. Then shall you find consolation, as David says: “The
righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all
their troubles; yea, the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
that fear him from the heart.” Ps. 34:17,7.
O my dear wife, think of the words of Paul: The time is short; I would
fain spare you; they that are married must be as though they were
not. 1 Corinthians 7:29. Thus, my dear sister in the Lord, Janneken
Verstralen, the end of all things is now at hand, says Peter; the
heavens shall be rolled together, and pass away as smoke, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, 1 Pet. 4:7; Rev. 6:14; 2 Pet.
3:10. O what manner of person ought you then to be in all holy and
chaste conversation. 2 Pet. 3:11. O my dear wife these words have
sometimes terrified me on account of my wicked, evil-desiring flesh,
with which I am compassed about: but I consoled myself with this, that
God by chastisement should refine me in the fire of affliction, and
thus be gracious unto me; for I have loved his truth, though weakness
cleaved to me. Hence I will now say with the prophet Micah: “I will
bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him.”
Micah 7:9. And with Sirach: “I will rather fall into the hands of
the Lord, than into the hands of men; for his mercy is as great as
he himself is.” Sir. 2:18. He forgives sin, and helps in distress.
Ps. 32:5. Hence, my dear wife, be patient in the tribulation that is
upon us both; confess with Judith, that our punishment is less than
our sins. Judith 8:27. And he helps in distress; for he that humbles
himself before the Lord, and confesses and forsakes his sins, shall
obtain mercy; but he that covers them shall not prosper. Prov. 28:13.
But if we confess our sins to the Lord, it is God that forgives them;
for we have a free and open fountain for sin and uncleanness, as
Zechariah says: that is, Christ Jesus, who has bought us with his
precious blood; for the blood of our dear Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us
from all our sins. See, my dearest wife, though now the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation much more abounds by Christ,
that through his innocent death we shall have eternal life, if we
continue steadfast in the fear of God unto the end, as I hope through
the grace of God to do. And I also pray you, my Janneken Verstralen,
my lamb, my love, that you will do so, and will remain an honorable
widow, in prayer and supplication to God (1 Tim. 5:5), and in holiness,
without which no one shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14); till you also are
taken away by the Lord. O my dearest love on earth, [in] my fatherly
heart, yours and my little children’s, I wish you much good according
to the soul. There are three of my little lambs with the Lord, and I
hope through God’s grace soon to be the fourth. O my dear wife, that I
might, through the grace and power of God, be burnt alive twice in a
pitch barrel, for you four that must remain behind, and you should now
go with me to the Lord into rest! What joy would it be to my fatherly
heart, if I were sure of the salvation of you all. Written with many
scalding tears. This I pray you, my dearest wife, that you will remain
an honorable and quiet widow. Do not take this amiss from me; true, it
is my advice, but therefore no command; but I seek it for the greater
assurance of your salvation.
O how often has this happened, that widows whose husbands went before
so valiantly, and so courageously gave their lives for the truth, by
marrying again, have subjected themselves to many sorrows, some of them
fallen into perdition, and some of them gone through life in great
sorrow, sighing over those whom they now have. Hence, my dear lamb,
I repeat it, think of the words of the apostle: The time is short; I
would fain spare you. For he would fain have wished, that all men had
been even as he himself, seeing that through marriage much trouble
comes into the flesh, 1 Corinthians 7:28,29,7. However, every one has
his particular gift, the one this, the other that; but do what you
will, only that it be done in the Lord, v. 39. But I hope and trust in
my God, that he will firmly keep you together with my three lambs, and
preserve you, that you may not be taken; and not suffer you, my dearest
wife, to be tempted above that you are able; for God knoweth how to
deliver the godly out of temptation, but to reserve the wicked and
ungodly unto the day of judgment to be punished. 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Pet.
2:9.
Hence, my dear lamb, I will commend you to the Lord, our God and helper
in distress, and further to his holy church; may they together open
their fatherly heart over you, my poor widow and young orphans. I
further desire, my dear wife, that wherever it is convenient you greet
the godfearing brethren and sisters much in my name with the peace of
the Lord; and tell them, that I greatly desire of them all, that they
remember us poor prisoners as their fellow-brethren, and will help
pray and supplicate to God, that we may wage the Lord’s war, and [that
he may] also help us to gain the victory, so that we may finish it to
his praise and to our salvation; and bid them all adieu in our name,
if perhaps I can write no more. And to you, my dear wife, my flesh and
my blood, I will also say adieu; adieu, my helper in distress; adieu,
my faithful friend on earth. The Lord be praised, that gave you to me;
you, my lamb, who have always comforted me in my tribulation. Adieu, my
Susanneken, my Abrahamken, my Isaaken; adieu, Janneken, my dearest love
upon earth, who have borne me six children, with three of whom I hope
soon to be at rest.
The almighty God, to whom nothing is impossible, but whose power
is equal to everything, keep you, my chosen wife, with the other
three innocent lambs, unto his eternal life. O my lamb, my Janneken
Verstralen, may the almighty God grant us, my love, that we may with
our children come to the Lord, to rejoice together before the throne of
the Lamb and the Majesty of our God. Amen.
May God keep you, my dear wife, in the simplicity of doves, the
innocence of children, and the prudence of serpents, and bring you to
his eternal inheritance. I commend you to the Lord, and to the rich
word of his grace. By me, your husband, Hendrick Verstralen, bound for
the eternal truth, at Rijpermonde, with fetters on my legs.
Maeyken greets you and all the godfearing much with the peace of
the Lord. O greet the household at D. much in our name; I very
affectionately desire to ask the old mother and her daughters, that
they immediately gird up their loins with the girdle of truth, and
put on the shoes of the Gospel, to enter into the camp of God, to
the church, where now the Lord’s war is waged. Come immediately,
my dear old mother, with your young daughters, to bear the baggage
of the Captain of our faith, namely, the knapsack of love, in which
is the helmet of salvation, with a beautiful plume called faith and
firm trust. Cover them with the mantle of righteousness, so that the
beautiful helmet of salvation may not rust, and the plume not become
soiled, that is, that your faith and trust towards God may not fail,
and you remain behind with the faint-hearted and fearful. Though
you see that all the tempests, storms and heavy rains fall upon the
righteous, remember, my dear lamb, that all the godfearing must have
themselves enlisted, and become soldiers under the bloody banner which
Christ Jesus our chief Captain has borne in the midst of his saints,
and under whose banner I now stand by the grace of God, and hope to
fight valiantly together with him, and to strive lawfully, as long as I
can stand on my feet, and there is breath in me.
Herewith I will bid you adieu, my dear friends D. and P., and the
daughters, and commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, hoping
that you will follow. Adieu, my dear friends, at whose table I ate
bread with joy for the last time, and we sang a hymn to the honor of
God. Adieu, my dear friends, in hope that we shall eat bread together
in the kingdom of God, and drink the oil of joy and the new wine.
By me Hendrick Verstralen, in bonds for the testimony of the truth, on
Palm Sunday, A. D. 1571.
HENDRICK VERSTRALEN.
A LETTER FROM HENDRICK VERSTRALEN, WRITTEN TO HIS BRETHREN AND SISTERS.