Thieleman J. van Braght · 105 of 210

Old Book of the Martyrs Mirror · Part 43

He then asked me what I thought of the seven sacraments, part of which he named to me. I replied that I considered them utterly worthless, because of all the abominable idolatry observed by them; but since the Lord has commanded us to confess His name before men, I said that I would confess my faith to him. He said that I should. I then began to make my confession; as that I believed in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, sea and waters, and all there is therein; and who created man after His image. Him alone we must serve, honor, worship, and love with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our thoughts, since He alone is good; forsaking all idols, whether of gold, silver, stone, metal, wood, bread, or of whatever other make or substance they may be, even as they are rejected and prohibited in the holy Scriptures; for we know that an idol is nothing in the world. I Cor. 8:4.

As I continued to speak, the Dean of Ronse said to me that I was making it too long, to write it all down. "You would make us too much work," he said, "if you should thus confess your faith from the beginning of the Bible." "I also believe," said he, "what you have said here; but what do you say of the sacrament of baptism as used in our church, to which everyone must come, in order to be saved?" I replied that I considered infant baptism worthless, since it was not commanded of God. He said that circumcision was a figure of it, and that all the children that were not circumcised in the Old Testament, or are not baptized in the New Testament, must be damned. I then said, in accordance with his own words: "Then the female children in the Old Testament must all be damned." He became angry, and said that what I advanced was only sophistry. I told him that he should be ashamed to say that children were damned, to whom as the Lord says, the kingdom of heaven belongs. He said that I lied in this. And another priest told me that one of Paul's disciples writes that he had learned infant baptism from his teacher, Paul. Thereupon I said that Paul writes that we should not be shaken in mind, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letter, as sent from them; or even though an angel from heaven should come, and teach us anything different from what is written in the holy Gospel, he should be accursed. II Thess. 2:2. I also asked him to show me where the Lord had commanded to baptize children, or to prove that the apostles baptized infants; which he could not do.

Again, he asked me how long ago I had been baptized. I replied: "Not yet a year." He asked me where and by whom I had been baptized; but I did not tell him. He then adjured me three times by the living God, and by the baptism which I had received, that I should tell him. I said that Caiaphas so adjured Christ. He replied that Christ spoke. I said that Christ spoke for Himself; but that when He was questioned concerning His disciples, He did not speak.

He then a~ked me what I held concerning the sacrament of the altar. I told him that I considered it nothing less than an unclean, rotten, putrid idolatry, and an abomination before God. He asked: "How? Do you not believe that He is present in it in flesh and blood, just as He walked upon the earth, or as He hung upon the tree of the cross?" "Far be it from me," said I, "that I should believe that Christ's flesh and blood are here upon earth; for Christ Himself said to His apostles, that we should always have the poor with us, but that we should not always have Him." Matt. 26:11.

He thereupon told me that He was not thus present in the sacrament, but that it was in spiritual substance, and that I did not understand the matter; but that this argument had been established many centuries before my time; for when Christ held His supper He said, He took the bread and gave it to His disciples, and said: "Take, cat; this is my body." I replied that the bread which Christ gave to His disciples, He gave them as an emblem of His body which was to be broken for them; even as He has represented Himself by figures in many places of Scripture. In John (15:1) He says: "I am the true vine;" yet in reality He was no vine, but He compared Himself to a vine. Thus the bread which Christ brake for His disciples, was spiritually a figure of His body; for He says in John 6; "Flesh and blood profit nothing; but the words that I speak are spirit and life." He said that this was irrelevant; "for if Christ were not present," said he, "how could we eat damnation thereby?" But I replied: "If it were the flesh and blood of Christ, we would not eat damnation thereby: for Christ says Himself; `Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.' John 6:54. Hence these words must not be understood literally, but spiritually, namely, that if one who was still a drunkard, or covetous, or an idolater, or the like, should go to the Lord's Supper with the church of Christ, whose head is Christ, such an one would be unfit to break bread with the members of Christ, not discerning Christ's body." I Cor.11:29. Then he said that there were many among us, who were drunkards, adulterers, and the like, and that they were well known to him. I then asked him

"Who are they?" He said: "J. de R." I then asked him where he lived. He replied: "I shall not tell you." I said that I well knew if there were such in our church, and were known, they would, according to the Scriptures, be put away and excluded. I Cor. 5:11.

He then asked me, who had baptized me. And when he could not learn it from me, he adjured me, but I did not tell him. Then his secretary said

"I will wager you a pot of wine, that you will tell it before a fortnight has passed;" but I would not bet. He then asked me how often I had observed the Supper. I replied that I had sometimes observed it, when opportunity offered itself, with many dear brethren and sisters. He asked: "With whom? What are their names?" I gave him the name of one of them, whom he specially named in his question. He then inquired concerning others, whether I regarded them as my brethren, or whether they were only friends or novices; "for I have learned all this Flemish," said he, "about nov;ices [dencomelingen, i. e., newcomers] friends and brethren." I said: "I thought you were from Brabant; do you understand so much Flemish?" "I hardly know what I am," he said; "perhaps Z am a foundling." "Yes," said I, "John's Revelation (13:1) speaks of a beast, which rose up out of the sea; you may belong to that race."

He then asked me whether I did not believe that Jesus Christ had assumed flesh and blood from Mary. I replied that I believed that the Word which was in the beginning with God, and by which the world was created, became flesh. Then he said that according to the flesh He was David's son. I replied: "If He is David's son, Christ Himself says: `How then doth David call him Lord?"' He said that Christ only adduced this to the Pharisees by way of argument; but Matthew, said he, describes His generation from Abraham to Mary. I replied, that Matthew traces the generation of Christ only to Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom Christ was born; and Luke says that Jesus was supposed to be the son of Joseph. "But," said he, "do you not believe that Mary is the mother of Christ?" I said: "Yes; Christ says: `Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, the same is my mother, sister and brother."' Matt. 12:50.

He then said that Christ was of the seed of the woman. But I told him, that women had no seed themselves; for as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman. I Cor. 11:12. Then he said that He was of Mary's substance and blood. But I replied that Christ said to the Jews, that He was from above, but they from beneath; "ye are of this world," He said, "I am not of this world." John 8:23. Moreover, the apostle says

"The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." I Cor. 15:47. I then told them that they should repent of their unrighteousness, persecution, and false, idolatrous doctrine. They said: "We have the true doctrine." I said that Paul nevertheless commands us to avoid such as command to abstain from meats, which God has created for the use of them that believe; and who forbid to marry, and have their conscience seared with a hot iron; for it is better to marry than to burn; but you people, contrary to the Scriptures, command to abstain from meats, and forbid to marry, and will rather burn than marry. I Tim. 4:2, 3; I Cor. 7:9.

Dean. "We do not forbid to marry."

Hans. "Certainly you do; you know that because of your commandment a person may neither eat meat nor marry, in Lent, and on many other days; and you have entered into a covenant that restrains you from marrying; but you commit such fornication that it is a shame to speak of it, as is daily seen from the bastards that are brought to your houses, and Paul says that we shall not cat with such, namely, fornicators, drunkards, etc., but that they are to be delivered unto Satan, for the destruction of their flesh." I Cor. 5:5.

Dean. "We are not so bad; we do not want to deliver them to Satan, we are so much the better."

Hans. "Poor man, would you be better than Paul? But all that is told you is of no avail; for you will not repent; but if you want. to dispute with us in the market or any other public place, we are ready, in hopes that some of the ignorant might be drawn thereby."

Dean. "This shall not be; who should judge there? boatman, fish mongers, and the like? That would be just the way to excite a tumult; but we are fools that we dispute so much with you; the proper way to do would be, simply to tell you our faith, and if you will not believe it, pass sentence."

We had many other words yet as about the worshiping of saints, the Pope of Rome, confession, fasting, purgatory, and the sleeping of the saints, which it would take much too long to write. The foregoing I have written down from memory, even as they often occurred; but since it happened long ago, I should not be able to write it down word for word. But since I well know that it is of no avail to tell them anything, and that they are arrogant and shameless. I sometimes give them very brief answers, offering to dispute with them in public, which they refused. They often put the same questions repeatedly to our brethren and sisters that are in bonds with us, who are all still of good cheer, the Lord be praised; for we feared the false prophets much more before we spoke with them, than afterwards. But the Lord knows how to give His chosen a mouth in such hours as He has promised, better than we can imagine; for those who seemed weak when not in bonds, are ,so courageous, that it is astonishing to see and hear it. The Lord alone be praised forever and ever. Amen.

The Dean also asked me whether we did not pray for him. I said: "Yes," "What do you people call me?" said he; "Do you call me Saul?" I replied.: "I have sometimes heard you called the Inquisitor (they all laughed); sometimes the Dean of Ronse." He said: "That is my name." We had many more words yet; however partly from lack of paper, I forbear writing more; but I beg all who see this, to receive it in good part, and if possible, let a copy of this be sent to our acquaintances at Antwerp, and one to our acquaintances in the West.

Thereupon these twelve friends (whose names are mentioned in the beginning of Hans de Vette's letter) all courageously laid down their lives for the truth. First four valiantly passed through the conflict, who offered up their burnt sacrifice in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a short time afterwards, six others, who, after steadfast confession of their faith, were also brought forth, and being asked whether they would not yet recant, they answered: "No," but if they had committed any crime, they should be dealt with accordingly. They were speedily sentenced to death as heretics, and when they were taken out to death in two wagons, two monks sat beside them, who prevented them from speaking much, so that they could only with great difficulty speak a word or two, namely, " `Fear not them that kill the body; for after that they have no more that they can do.' but, O men repent, for the apostle says that he that lives after the flesh shall die." Rom. 8:13.

When they were led into a but of wood and straw in which they were to be burnt, they manifested great joy, and commending their souls into the hands of God, they put off the corruptible, to put on the incorruptible.

There remained yet two pregnant women, who, after giving birth to their children, and lying in, were both secretly beheaded in the count's castle. Thus all these, continuing steadfast.unto the end, went to rest with the Lord and shall also enter into eternal joy with Him, in the company of all the dear children of God. Matt. 25:21; John 1:12.

MAEYKEN KATS, OF WERVICK IN FLANDERS,

MAGDALEENTKEN, AECHTKEN.OF ZIERICKZEE,

OLD MAEYKEN, GRIETGEN BONAVENTUERS,

AND MAEYKEN DE KORTE, A. D. 1559

On the 20th of May, 1559, the Margrave of Antwerp, seeking one upon whose head a price of three hundred guilders was set, went forth with many servants, and surrounded and entered two houses, in which they found six sisters, namely, Maeyken Kats, Magdaleentken, Aechtken of Zierickzee, Old Maeyken, Grietgen Bonaventuers, and Maeyken de Korte. But however much they searched the houses they could not find the one whom they sought. Then the Margrave wished these women in Hoboken Heath. But nevertheless, when he could not accomplish his purpose, he took all six with him, and shut them in a dark prison. Afterwards they were examined. They freely confessed their faith, and could not be brought to recant, neither by the imperial decree, nor by threats or torture; nor did they betray any one. Hence, on the 8th of June; the first three were sentenced to death, and drowned in prison by night.

Afterwards, on the llth of October, the other three were also condemned to death; old Maeyken, the honorable widow, who was worthy of double honor, was drowned, while Grietken Bonaventuers and Maeyken de Korte had to taste death by the sword (unusual with women) for the truth, for which their Lord, whom they loved and did not forget, will likewise not forget them, but gladly receive them into His kingdom and joyfully feast in paradise.

A LETTER FROM MAEYKEN DE KORTE

My dear sister, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be fruitful in all longsuffering and holiness, to wait for Him with patience; for He shall come quickly, and bring His reward with Him; He is faithful that promised, who also will do it. II Thess. 3:1; Rev. 22:12; I Thess. 5:25. It is as I say: "Our life is a continual conflict upon earth." Know that I am of tolerably good cheer; the flesh is pretty well, the Lord be praised. We are here indeed as the filth of the world, and constantly long to get home, and for a building not made with hands; eternal in the heavens. We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. I Cor. 4:13. How ought we to be prepared with a godly life I I often find myself cast down: I also discover so many shortcomings in me, and that there is so much yet to die unto; I have to commit it all to the Lord, with an humble heart, and trembling, contrite spirit, asking Him for grace, and not for justice. I feel that the more I humble myself, the more the mighty God works in me, and pours His grace into me. Then I cry most bitterly, fall upon my knees, and thank my God, and say

"O my Lord and God, what am I, child of Adam, that Thou art mindful of him,* Thou hast given him dominion over all Thy works. Whence is it that Thou dost visit us so abundantly, and dost so graciously open unto us Thy treasures, and causest the bright morning star to arise and shine in our hearts, and hast drawn us out of this dark night to the imperishable light?" What shall we render unto Him, my dear sister, but a penitent and contrite heart, and a broken spirit, with love and great gratitude, there rests the spirit of the Lord, says David. Let us love one another fervently, for God is love, and constantly exhort each other, lest we wax cold through the deceitfulness of sin; so that God may be glorified in us, and we may be delivered from pride, and from unreasonable and wicked men; for all men have not faith. The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and keep us. I John 4:8; Heb. 3:13; II Thess. 3:2. Know, that my sisters were here, and desired to have a word of comfort from me. The Lord gained the victory. I do not know how it is with me, I do not feel drawn to them, just as though they were not related to me; I cannot rejoice, though I see them, and it seems to me that they are afraid of me. They caused me so much cross. They had sent a monk named Balten here, to examine me, and were willing to give him three caps, if he should be able to convert me. He came with fine words, but I would not speak, being sick at the time. Then my sisters said: "Why do you not speak?" I replied: "I have no desire at present; we have talked with him so often; he well knows our intention."

This irritated Balten, and he complained greatly of me, that I had strongly resisted the Scriptures, that I maintained salvation erroneously, and that I had no hope. Then they wept greatly, but it was all the same to me, whether he kept silence or spoke. He made all leave the room, only my two sisters; he and I remaining. He then entreated me much, saying: "My dear Maeyken, have compassion upon your poor soul." I boldly replied: "This I hope to do." "Say that you are sorry, and that you have erred; it is sufficient, and you need say no more; an instrument shall immediately be drawn up for you, according to my direction, and I myself and your two brothers in law, will sign it. It shall remain a secret, and all shall be done for you that is possible; give your consent to it, my dear sister." Then I was moved in my spirit, and said: "You may give your head rest, yours is all lost labor; I am not at all inclined to say that I am sorry. I am so sorry for it, that if I had not done it, I should yet do what I have in mind. I want to abide in it

* An implied substitution of gender, peculiar to the genius of the Dutch (as also, the German) language; the exclaimant, losing sight of her own individuality, views herself only as a representative of Adam's race, and recipient of God's munificence. Trans.

by the help of God, neither entreaties, nor tortures, nor death, nor life shall turn me, and I want to die therein; hence do not torment me." Phil. 4:13. I wish I could speak with Lauwerens Huysmaeker, and see all of you; but I must be patient.

I commend you to the Lord, and to the Word of His grace; greet Andries, and Mattheus. I greet you both; greet Lauwerens, and Hans; greet Adriaen much, and Lauwerens' wife, and the wife of Lauwerens the broom maker, and Hansken's wife.

A TESTAMENT WRITTEN BY DELIS BERNAERTS TO

HIS WIFE, WHEN HE LAY IN PRISON AT ANT;

WERP, WHERE HE WAS PUT TO DEATH FOR

THE WORD OF THE LORD, A. D. 1559

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, my dear and most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, according as His divine power bath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. II Pet. 1:2, 3.

Thus, my most beloved, that by these you are a partaker of the divine nature, if you flee the corruptible lusts of this world, as you have also done, and by renouncing the same, and accepting regeneration, faith, and manifestation of obedience, which you proved by baptism, in which you put on Christ, and thereby became a partaker of the divine nature. And this was not done for works of righteousness which you did, but according to His mercy He saved you, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Tit. 3:5. If you continue herein unto the end, and are patient in whatever befalls you, you shall inherit what is promised you. Praise God, and thank Him for all His glorious benefits which you have received; and bless God the Father through Jesus Christ, though tribulation has now come upon you, through my departure for the Lord's sake; and know that according to His abundant mercy He bath begotten you again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved for you and all that are in the same faith, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein you, my dear and beloved wife, greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: for, know, my most beloved, we are tried in manifold ways, in order that it may become manifest whether we truly love the Lord. I Pet. 1:3.

Hence be of good cheer, my most beloved, even though still much more tribulation should come upon you; for know that we must through much tribulation and suffering enter into the kingdom of God. And as also Ecclesiasticus says, in the second chapter, first verse: "My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation.

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Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble. Cleave unto him, and depart not away . . . For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity."

But, my most beloved, even as James writes in his first chapter: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing;" for when we are in tribulation, we need patience. Hence I entreat you from the bottom of my heart, and from my inmost soul, to be of good cheer, and with patience to let the trial of your faith become manifest, as Peter says, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, I Pet. 1:7-9. Then all suffering, tribulation, reproach, persecution, sighing, weeping, and lamenting will have an end. Rev. 21:4. Therefore be of good cheer, and consider that the suffering which may happen to us here, will all pass away, and all the glory and pleasure of this world must also perish and come to naught; but look constantly to the future glorious promises that have been made us, and which shall be fulfilled to us that believe, if we remain steadfast, since He is faithful that promised, for the Lord is not slack concerning His promise. Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:23; II Peter 3:9. But be of good cheer, and trust in Him, for He will not forsake you; and cast your care upon Him, for He careth for you; for He that has called and chosen you hereto is a God of all grace, as Paul says.

But the God of all grace, who bath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a [little] while, (mark, He says: A little while) make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you in that which you have accepted, namely, the faith in Him, and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, unto whom be praise, honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. I Pet. 5:10.

After all heartfelt and affectionate greetings to you, my dearest, chosen and most beloved wife and dear sister in the Lord, I have received your letter, in which you write me to write you a testament, which I will not refuse to do, if the Lord gives me time; for if I could help you with my blood, I would do it. But now I cannot help you, save by writing, which I do to your comfort, out of true brotherly love, and from the bottom of my heart, intending to finish this, by the help and grace of the Lord, with the same mind with which I commenced it. Know therefore, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, how that God visited His people in former times, when they were in Egypt, in the bondage of King Pharaoh, whom they had to 'serve for about five hundred years. And when it was His will to deliver them, He raised up Moses for, their leader, through whom God delivered them out of Egypt's bondage and led them through the Red Sea, to which He drowned and brought to naught King Pharaoh and all his host with which the latter pursued them. thus delivering them out of his hands. Thus they came into the wilderness, to go on to the land which was promised them; and the Lord God, through Moses their Leader, gave them laws and customs after which they were to walk. But they did not continue in His law; wherefore God became angry, and sware in His wrath, that they should not enter into His rest. Concerning whom did He swear, but concerning unbelievers? And we see that they did not enter therein, and this because of their unbelief. This having thus happened, the Lord spoke through the prophet, and said: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more." Now in these last days He has revealed this covenant, given through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the true Moses, who has taken us by the hand. and led us out of Egypt, wherein we all sat and served the hellish King Pharaoh, under whom we were captive by sin; from which bonds and slavery we are redeemed through Christ, who through His death and the shedding of His blood redeemed and reconciled us, and delivered us from the hellish King Pharaoh, whom He destroyed and suffocated in his blood, thereby fulfilling the Old Testament; for all.had to be fulfilled that was written in the law and in the prophets. Heb. 1:2; Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44. Thus the fulfillment was accomplished, and the new testament confirmed with His blood; which, as already stated, He had promised through the prophets, and which is proclaimed to us .through the Gospel, and confirmed with signs and wonders by Him and His holy apostles, whom after His resurrection He sent out to preach to all nations, that whosoever should believe and be baptized, should be saved, also commanding them to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them. Heb. 2:4; Matt. 28:20.