to-morrow, be your turn; be of good courage, and patiently abide your
time, my dearest sister. You write me in regard to my child; I have
confidence in you that you will do your best with it. I have committed
it to the Lord, to do his good pleasure with it, and to move your heart
to it. For, dear sister, I trust that you love me from the heart, and
they that love the tree will also love the branches. I read your letter
again with tears, when I heard that you were so sad on my account, and
that I was so joyful.
O my dear sister, how glad I was that I had kissed you once more.
Grieve not, that you have not visited me more; I did not take it amiss,
for I well know that you did not lack the will: my dear sister, you
have done so much for me. O my dear brother and sister, I would write
you more yet, of the hope that is now in me, but I cannot write you
so much; it is much greater still [than I have described to you]. I
hope that you will take this in good part, and will herewith bid you
a perpetual adieu; and do the best with each other. And you, my dear
brother, pray, comfort my dear sister in her tribulation which she has
on my account, for I love her from the bottom of my heart. Parting is
grievous according to the flesh, but according to the spirit I thank
and praise the Lord, that I am permitted to offer up such a sacrifice,
which can be acceptable to him; yea, that I can offer up my flesh and
blood at the stake. Gladly I give it to him that gave it me; though I
had seven bodies, I should gladly deliver them up for the Lord’s sake.
Pray the Lord heartily for me, that I may now make strait paths for my
feet, to the edification of all dear brethren and sisters. Herewith
adieu. I have sent knit-needles for my daughter; keep them, and do
the best with her. I also leave you here a poor little orphan without
father or mother: the Lord be your dear Father, and I commend you to
him that created and made you. My sister, I wish you would keep my lamp
in remembrance of me, and I sent some sugar for you and your daughter,
of which I ate when I was sentenced; and thank Engel much in my name
for the pot of wine, and tell him adieu. I know nothing special now to
commit to you, but do the best with my young lamb; the Lord will not
leave unrewarded what you do for his name. Bid my father and mother,
my dear brethren and sisters, adieu and farewell; adieu and farewell
to all; farewell to my dear brethren and chosen sisters, whom I love
from the depth of my heart; I greet you once more with the holy kiss
of peace, as though I were present with you; kiss one another. My
fellow-sisters who are with me also greet you, and have kissed me once
for you, and I have done the same for you. My dear, chosen brethren and
dear sisters, weary not of Jesus Christ. I hope to go before you yet to
the heavenly city, to wait for you under the altar with all the chosen
saints; follow me. My dear chosen sister, I must now go before you,
where I shall enjoy bliss. Adieu, sister dear; remember me still; the
time of travail is at hand, to offer up my sacrifice at the stake, much
beloved. Herewith I commend you to the Lord.
I shall seal this with my blood. Adieu, adieu, my dearest brethren and
sisters, with your little lamb, and also mine, which I bore under my
heart. I have written this for you yet after I was sentenced, after one
o’clock in the night; however, it was not irksome to me. I take leave
and bid you adieu once more, till we meet hereafter, where men shall
separate us no more. Adieu, till we together drink the new wine which
Christ shall give us at his table. Matt. 26:29. This other letter is
from Augustijn, who sent it to me. Adieu, adieu, all of you adieu. I
shall follow Hans, my dear husband. The lady with her midwife, and her
nurse are going now, and shall receive a like reward. Nothing more from
me, but adieu for the last time. Follow me.
Fear God; this is the conclusion.
SUSANNEKEN AND KALLEKEN CLAES, A. D. 1573.
In the year 1573, at Ghent, in Flanders, there were also apprehended,
for following Christ, two sisters, young maidens, named Susanneken and
Kalleken Claes, or Draeyaerts, the former aged about twenty-six, and
the other about twenty-four years. While imprisoned in the Saucelet,
the city prison, they had to suffer many entreaties and afflictions
from the enemies of the truth, in all of which they steadfastly
adhered to their only Shepherd, Lord, and the Author of their faith,
to help them bear his bloody banner, his cross, and reproach, and, as
courageous heroines, to strive valiantly unto death, which they had to
taste for his name; for as they remained steadfast, and would in no
wise depart from the divine truth, nor from the true faith, upon which
they, according to Christ’s ordinance, had received baptism, they were
finally sentenced to death as heretics, and, on the 4th of December of
the aforesaid year, and with balls tied into their mouths, to prevent
them from speaking or confessing with their mouths the cause of their
innocent, fearless, voluntary, and God-pleasing death and sacrifice,
they were brought into the Friday Market, and there publicly burned at
the stake, going thus with burning lamps, and the oil of love in their
vessels, to meet their Forerunner and Bridegroom, who will let them in,
as wise virgins, to his marriage, when the foolish shall knock and not
be heard, and, with too late repentance and sorrow of heart, shall have
to remain excluded.
ANTHONIS YSBAERTS, A. D. 1573.
While the Duke of Alva so dreadfully persecuted, and tyrannized over,
the believers, there was also apprehended and put to death, for his
faith and the practice of the truth, at Tielt, in Flanders, one
Anthonis Ysbaerts, who had been a servant of the High Bailiff of Ghent,
and consequently often attended the executions of the saints, where he
did not always with a sin-desiring, unconcerned, vain mind, nor with
blinded eyes, behold the invincible steadfastness in the faith, and
the joyful peace of mind, of the Christians, who in the midst of their
innocent sufferings undauntedly confessed, proclaimed and magnified the
name of God; but he was finally so stirred and troubled by it in his
heart, that he forsook not only the service of his temporal lord, but
also the worship of idols, and betook himself henceforth to become a
servant of God, notwithstanding he had many times witnessed what had
befallen others on this account, [and knew] that he had to expect the
same, as it also occurred with him.
As soon as he had betaken himself to hear the word of God, and to
follow Christ, and so advanced therein, that he was considered
worthy to receive baptism upon his faith, and to be received as a
fellow-member of the church of Christ, he had to flee the country,
and thus went to Vriesland, where he, not being conversant with any
trade, could earn only a very precarious living. In the meantime it
happened that a brother who had also fled from Tielt (mentioned above)
on account of his faith, and come to live in Vriesland, and who had
left behind much property, hired this Anthonis, and sent him to Tielt,
to arrange his unsettled affairs, and save his effects and convey them
to him, as much as he conveniently could. When he had attended to all
the things with which he had been charged, and was just on the point
of returning to Vriesland, the Bailiff of Tielt came to him, and asked
him, whether he did not belong to the same people as those that had
sent him out, which when he did not dare deny, the Bailiff sent for his
beadles, and had him conducted to prison, where he had to resist not a
little vexation and torment; but when he, in all things, steadfastly
adhered to the accepted truth, he was finally, pursuant to the king’s
decree, sentenced to death, to be burnt alive as a heretic.
This sentence having been read to him, he requested permission to
speak a word, and this being granted, he asked the lords whether they
did not think that such a sentence was too cruel for him, who had not
done anything amiss to any one. This produced such a commotion among
the judges, that they held a consultation and concluded that he should
first be strangled, and then burnt. He thanked them that they had shown
him so much mercy.
There was also with him one Friar Pieter de Backer, who sought to
converse much with him, in order to cause him to apostatize, but he
mostly refused all he said, finally saying: “Let me alone; my heart is
of good cheer, my departure is very near at hand, for the bell which
is striking now shall not strike another time before I hope to have
offered up my sacrifice, and to be at home with my Redeemer, in whom
all my hope and confidence rests.”
He was therefore brought forth to die, in very mean attire, for which
he had exchanged his own clothes, which were better, giving the latter
to one who was imprisoned for his crime, and was shortly to be released.
When he came to the stake where he was to offer up his sacrifice,
he kneeled down and offered up an earnest prayer to God, and then
voluntarily prepared himself for death. But when the executioner was to
strangle him, he could not find his twisting-stick; hence the Bailiff
with his sword cut off a piece from the torch which they had to light
the fire, that it might be used for a twisting-stick. Thereupon he,
commending his spirit into the hands of God, sweetly fell asleep in the
Lord, and when he had been strangled, the fire was lighted to burn him.
And just as this was taking place, there arose such a terrible storm,
that many people were frightened, and were of the opinion that God
thereby meant to show his displeasure upon the tyranny inflicted upon
his elect.
FIFTY-FOUR PERSONS, BRETHREN AS WELL AS SISTERS, NAMELY, THIRTY-SEVEN
AT ANTWERP, AND SEVENTEEN AT BRUSSELS, VERY UNMERCIFULLY BURNT FOR THE
TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, IN THE YEAR 1574.
After manifold and long tyranny, torturing, murdering and killing of
the children of God, it further occurred, in the year 1574, through
the order of the most dreadful, bloodthirsty tyrant, the Duke of
Alva, that there were apprehended, in a meeting, at Antwerp, in
Brabant, thirty-seven persons, and at Brussels, in Brabant, at one
time, seventeen persons, men, women, widows, and young maidens, who,
in the places stated here, were very severely confined, and tortured
and examined with dreadful tyranny, to cause them to apostatize from
the truth of the holy Gospel, and from following Christ, and to obey
again the papistic superstitions, together with all their trumpery of
human ordinances and commandments militating against God. Especially
were they dreadfully tyrannized and tortured, that they should inform
against their fellow-believers, and deliver them up into the hands
of the executioners and torturers, since they were by no means sated
yet, but greatly thirsted after more innocent blood. But these valiant
heroes and men of God courageously resisted and overcame, through faith
and the invincible power of God (which was in them), the subtle and
tyrannical wiles of the devil. Hence the blind scribes declared them
heretics, and delivered them into the hands of the secular authorities.
These, made drunk with the wine of the Babylonian whore, allowed
themselves, this and many other times, to be used as the executioners
and obedient servants of these idolatrous priests and monks, and caused
all these fifty-four persons to be unmercifully burnt, at different
times, so that they all died steadfastly, and attested and confirmed
the faith of the eternal truth with their death and blood. And though
open thieves and murderers were permitted to open their mouths and
confess to the by-standing people their distress, as also to call upon
the God of heaven for forgiveness of their sins, yet the awful tyranny
and envy against the true children of God were so great, that this
was frequently denied them, and to this end they filled the mouths of
the pious witnesses of God with gags and balls, so that they were not
able to proclaim to the by-standing people their innocence and the
true reason why they suffered this. But the priests and monks having
noticed that these pious men of God, when they came to the place of
execution, freed themselves from these gags and balls, and spoke to
the people from the word of God; the monks, in order to prevent this,
had instruments made resembling vises, between which they made the
prisoners stick their tongues, which they then had screwed fast, and
the tips thereof touched with a red-hot iron, that they should swell up
and thus not slip back. And this new and abominable invention of the
monks, these tyrants, to their own perpetual shame, used on the persons
mentioned here.
All this these true witnesses of Jesus suffered, and were, as humble
sheep and lambs of Christ, led to the slaughter, who did not resist,
but were thus unjustly put to death by them. But this deed, it is to
be feared, will at the coming of Christ, when it will be too late to
repent, exceedingly smart their eyes; while these brave heroes and
heroines who so valiantly strove for the name of the Lord, will by
their bridegroom Christ Jesus upon mount Zion, be rewarded with the
crown of eternal glory; for the fight is now fought, and they are now
resting under the altar.
Whoever will, let him read Emanuel van Meteren, the laudable historian
of the High Lords States; printed A. D. 1614. On page 99 this matter
will be found verified.
ADRIAEN HOEDEMAECKER AND MATTHEUS KEUSE, A. D. 1574.
At Bruges, in Flanders, in the year 1574, there were also apprehended
for following and practicing the doctrine of Christ and his apostles,
one Adriaen Hoedemaecker, called Kort Adriaentgen [Short Adrian] of
Ghent, and one Mattheus Keuse, and after they had been in confinement
for a time, they were, for the steadfast confession of their faith,
sentenced to be burned. When they came upon the scaffold, to offer
up their sacrifice, the priest addressed several remarks to them,
whereupon the executioner said to him: “Attend to your preaching.” The
executioner then kissed these brethren, and comforted them with the
word of God, hearing which the priest or confessor said to him: “Attend
to your office, for preaching is my business.” After this and other
things, these two brethren boldly offered up their burnt sacrifice to
the Lord, and commended their souls into his hands, thus taking their
departure out of this vale of tears; to enter into the eternal joy with
God and all his saints.
HANS PELTNER, A. D. 1574.
In the year 1574, Hans Peltner, a tailor, at Rottenhosen in Imtal, was
apprehended for his faith, and the divine truth, who had to endure many
disputations and temptations, from the priests as well as others, all
of which he very valiantly resisted, and with the word of God testified
to the truth, to which he by the help of God would adhere unto death.
On this account he was finally sentenced to death, and conducted forth
to the place of execution, where he exhorted the people to desist from
sin and repent. He then kneeled down, turning his face to the east, or
the rising of the sun, lifted up his hands to heaven, and poured out
an earnest prayer to God his heavenly Father, thanking and praising
him for all the grace and benefits shown him and that he had made him
worthy to suffer for his name: He also prayed for all men who were
worthy, that God would put repentance and amendment into their hearts.
Finally he commended his spirit into the hands of God, for whose
name he was willing to offer up again his life and body (which he had
received from him), and to testify to his truth even to his last drop
of blood, as he had promised him in baptism, and would thus expect to
be received of him into his gracious arms.
This prayer was too long for the executioner’s patience, for he wanted
him to shorten it; but the judges said that he should let him pray to
his heart’s content, since it was his last time.
When he had finished praying, he rose and went boldly toward the
executioner, so that neither his face nor his color changed, but he
knelt down again so intrepidly, that the executioner was consternated
by his valiant praying and undaunted mind, and became afraid to execute
him.
When the executioner removed the collar from his neck, previous to
seizing his sword, he asked him once more, whether he would renounce;
but he would not. Thereupon the executioner proceeded, beheaded
him, and then burned his dead body. Thus this Christian hero freely
testified to the truth with his blood, and in no wise suffered himself
to be separated from the way of eternal life in Christ. Hence the
Lord, the Judge of the living and the dead, who holds in his hand the
judgment and the souls of them that have died for the faith, shall
raise him up at the last day, and cause him to appear before him, where
he shall inherit a martyr’s crown and all that God has promised his own.
REYTSE AYSESS OF OLDENBORN PUT TO DEATH FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS
CHRIST, AT LEEUWAERDEN, ON THE 23D OF APRIL, IN THE YEAR 1574, TOGETHER
WITH VARIOUS LETTERS WRITTEN BY HIM WHILE IMPRISONED AT THAT PLACE.
_The first letter of Reytse Aysess, written in his prison, how he was
betrayed, apprehended and put into bonds by the Bailiff, called Andries
Grief, and boldly and fearlessly acknowledged and confessed his faith._
It happened in the year 1573, the 18th of September, that I came to
Oldenborn, where I met the Bailiff, who requested me to go with him,
saying that he had something to tell me. When we had entered his house,
he asked me where I lived. I replied: “In Bechsterswaegh.” He then
asked me how old I was; I said that I did not know it accurately. He
further asked me where I had stayed over night. I said: “In my father’s
house.” He asked me whether H. had not been there; to which I made no
reply. Then he urged me so hard in regard to it, that I finally said,
“Yes.” He then asked me concerning many others. I kept silence for a
long time. Finally, after many temptations, I said that W. had also
been there, and that formerly we had been very intimate friends; and
after some other conversation which we had together I was silent. He
then put fetters on me, and wanted to instruct me from the ancient
fathers of fifteen hundred years ago, and from other writings not
contained in the New Testament. I said that I would accept no other
writings than the New Testament.
The next day, in the morning, the substitute of Leeuwaerden came, who
tempted me very much, to tell who all had been at my father’s house;
but the almighty God kept my lips. Hence they took me to Leeuwaerden,
and cast me into a dungeon, in which there were eight who cared nothing
for God. There I at first became very sorrowful, and day and night
called upon the almighty God, that he would keep me; and he enlightened
my heart, for which I praise and thank the eternal Father for his great
benefits shown me. After I had been confined there five days, they
brought me into another prison, to a lord, for which I praised and
thanked God.
DIVERS EXAMINATIONS OF REYTSE AYSESS BEFORE THE COMMISSARY, PASTORS,
PRIESTS, BISHOPS, AND OTHERS.
On the sixth day they brought me before the commissary, and in going
thither there met me an old man, who bade me “good evening.” I returned
the compliment, however was frightened when I saw him. But he said to
me: “You have a bad commissary”; and he conversed much more with me,
and instructed me how I should answer the commissary; and so I went in.
The commissary bade me “Good day,” and I wished him the same. He
then asked me: “What is your business here?” I replied: “I have been
brought here against my will.” He further asked what I believed.
_Ans._ “I believe in God Almighty; and that there is but one Lord,
one faith, and one baptism, by which we can be saved.” He said that
he also believed that, but that I was seduced. I said: “Is God then a
seducer?” _Commissary._ “No; but you have been seduced by Menno and
other seducers.” I said that I did not rely on men, but on the word of
the Lord. He said that I should suffer myself to be instructed by the
holy Catholic Church, since God himself had ordained apostles, doctors
[teachers] and pastors. I said that I believed nothing but the word of
God and the New Testament. He then asked me, whether I was baptized.
I said: “Yes, upon my faith, as Christ has commanded.” He then made
a long speech, that Christ had received flesh and blood from Mary,
and that I must believe this; and many other words we had together.
He then asked me, when I had been to confession and the sacrament the
last time. I replied: “Never in my life;” and many other remarks we
had together. Thus he admonished me, that I should suffer myself to be
instructed by the holy Church, and then he went away. This occurred on
Friday.
After I had been in confinement six weeks and a half, they took me
to the Poorte, where was the pastor of Nyehoof (who was pastor of
Enchuysen) with an advocate. These asked me on what I had determined.
I said that I would adhere to the word of the Lord. They then produced
a letter, in which was written all that I had confessed. Thereupon
they asked me, whether I considered the church of the Mennists a true
church. I said: “You call it so, but I regard it as the true church of
God.” This they wrote down. Then they asked me, whether I was baptized
upon my faith. I said: “Yes.” They also asked me whether I had not
been baptized in my infancy. I said: “Yes; but that was no baptism
as Christ commanded, for Christ taught to repent, amend, and then to
be baptized for the remission of sins. See, so I was baptized.” Then
they said that infants were born in original sin; hence they had to be
cleansed by baptism. I replied: “Christ has redeemed us from the fall
and transgression of Adam; hence he says himself, that to the children
belongs the kingdom of heaven.” They said: “Yes, those were circumcised
children.” Then they asked whether I had been in the church of the
Mennists. I replied that I had been in the church of God. This they
wrote down. _Ques._ “What do you hold concerning the Roman church?”
_Ans._ “Nothing.” _Ques._ “What do you hold touching the sacrament?”
_Ans._ “I have never in all my life read of a sacrament, but of the
Lord’s Supper; and this I indeed want to observe, as Christ has
commanded it; but of yours I think nothing.” _Ques._ “Do you believe
that God is almighty?” I said: “Yes.” “And whether God therefore
should not come into the bread which they break?” _Ans._ “This I never
believed.” They also asked whether I did not believe that Christ had
received flesh and blood from Mary. I briefly said that I did not
believe it. These are principally the articles which they asked me,
and they noted down every thing. I then asked the priest: “If I should
fulfill your will, would you be willing to be responsible for my soul?”
He said: “Yes, for you and the whole world.” I said that this was as
the apostle says: While they promise them liberty, they themselves are
the servants of corruption (2 Peter 2:19). He said that this was not
spoken to them. And after some more conversation which we had, they
told me to go, and we bade one another adieu for this time.
After I had been in prison seven weeks, I was again taken to the
Poorte, into a large hall, where were three priests, one of whom was
the one of Nyehoof, with whom I have often been; the other was a
Friesian. These asked me what I had determined on. I replied that by
the help of God I would adhere to the word of the Lord. He said that
it was not the word of God, and that I was seduced; he was sorry,
because we were both Friesans; “for,” said he, “when one has temporal
matters on hand that he does not understand, he seeks advice from
those that are wise and knowing in such matters, and suffers himself
to be instructed; hence it is necessary that one also suffer himself
to be instructed by wise men of the holy Church, in matters from which
depends eternal salvation.” _Ans._ “Whoever rightly instructs me with
the word of the Lord, him I will gladly hear; but by your instruction
I should be seduced.” They said that I was already seduced; but if I
would suffer myself to be instructed by the holy Church, they would
pledge their souls for me at the last day. I replied that they should
have enough to do with their own souls. But with them it was a settled
thing, that I was seduced. So we finally came to infant baptism.