Part 249
Now he that will be a good and faithful disciple of Christ and serve his Lord in faithfulness, must willingly bear all that is laid upon him for the Lord’s sake, for Paul says: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” And again: “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 14:27; 2 Tim. 3:12; Acts 14:22.
Since, then, the kingdom of heaven must be taken through much affliction and vexation, let us with Paul rejoice in the afflictions which we suffer for the name of Christ, for we see how Peter and John, when they came from the council, rejoiced that they had suffered reproach and been scourged for Christ’s sake. Acts 5:41. Thus, my dear mother, do also rejoice with me, and thank the good God, that he counts a poor, weak, unworthy man fit to suffer for his word and truth.
Praise and glorify the Lord for his grace; sing praise to him for his benefits; say with me: Thanks be to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for his unspeakable mercy and goodness which he has shown us poor men. Say with David: Where is a god like unto our God? to him be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I bid you adieu, my dearest mother, adieu; if I should write you no more, and if this should be the last letter, I bid you adieu, my beloved mother, and take leave from you, if it should be the last time; my mother whom I love, adieu, for I leave you for the Lord’s sake, and also hope to lay down my life for his sake, for the Lord has promised me another life, which shall endure for ever, and never pass away; not like this life, which must perish, for this life, or the temporal pleasure of this world, is not to be compared to the joy and gladness that is promised to the righteous that endure steadfast unto the end; where one day, as David says, is better than a thousand here in joy and pleasure. Ps. 84:10.
I hope by the help of the Lord soon to partake of the eternal joy. Then I shall be freed from all sighing, weeping and sorrow; then I shall neither thirst nor hunger any more; then I shall no more feel heat or cold; then I shall be released from all, and for ever triumph with the Lamb. Hence, grieve not, neither weep nor sigh; though I go before, we shall meet again; be of good cheer, my chosen mother; the Lord comfort you with his Holy Spirit, in all your tribulation and sorrow. John 14:16.
I might be grieved more than you, for your sake, for I leave you here in this evil world, where you are subject to all sorrow, tribulation and affliction, while I depart from tribulation into joy, from this life into the eternal life: but we need not be sorrowful, but resigned to the work of the Lord, for Paul says; “All things work together for good to them that believe;” hence, remember what we pray: “Lord, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Rom. 8:28; Matt. 6:10.
Therefore, let us take heed, that we do not will anything contrary to the will of the Lord, but that we be patient and longsuffering in all things, so that there may be fulfilled in us the passage contained in John’s Revelation: “Here is the patience of the saints.” Rev. 14:12. Therefore, dear mother, be patient in all that has now come upon you, and that may yet come upon you.
Farewell, my affectionately beloved mother, and I pray you, when you begin your prayer to God, remember me poor, weak man, your son, imprisoned here for the testimony of the only Son of God, as I hope and doubt not that you do; for James says that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much, and he adduces an example, and says, that Elias was a man like us, and he prayed that it should not rain, and it came to pass so; and he prayed again, that it should rain, and it rained. This, James tells us, to show how effectual the prayer of the faithful is. James 5:16; 1 Kings 17:1; 18:45.
Christ also says: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, if ye believe and doubt not, it shall be done unto you.” Mark 11:24. The Scriptures abundantly testify, that the prayer of the righteous penetrates through the clouds, so that they are heard by the Lord. Herewith I take leave from you, dear mother, if it should be the last time, and I commend you to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of all comfort console you; the strong God strengthen your faith, to resist all the fiery darts of the wicked one; the Lord keep your going out and your coming in, now and for ever Amen.
Adieu, my dearest mother, adieu in this life, till we see each other in life eternal, with Christ our only Head and Bridegroom. Amen.
Greet my dearest brother in the Lord Christ Jesus, the dearest brother I have on earth; greet him very cordially, and also my chosen dear master, if he is with you. Greet my beloved brother D. B., when you write to him. My mother, take this my simple letter in good part, since I have written it out of love, according to my little knowledge, which the Lord, through grace, has given me unworthy man. The Lord be with us all. Amen.
By me your son, whom you well know, at present confined in prison, at Antwerp, on the 7th of July, A. D. 1576, for the Gospel, and for the confession of the only Son of God, Christ Jesus our Savior, whom the world does not confess, but denies.
HANS BRET.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN FROM A DARK PIT INTO WHICH HE HAD BEEN CAST, AND SENT TO ONE OF THE SISTERS IN THE FAITH, ON A SUNDAY IN AUGUST, 1576.
Grace and peace from God our dear heavenly Father, full of grace and truth, rich in mercy and loving kindness, through the bitter suffering and death of his only Son Christ Jesus, who loved us, and washed us in his blood, from all our sins and iniquities that we have done; the power of the Holy Ghost, to strengthen you in the belief of the truth, which the Lord through his unspeakable grace and mercy has revealed to you: this I, your weak brother, wish you from all the heart, to the salvation of your soul. Amen.
Affectionately beloved sister in Christ Jesus, whom I love from the heart, I cannot refrain from writing you this brief letter, here in this pit into which I have been cast, without any light except the light of the candle.
Hence, I herewith bid you adieu, if I should write you no more, which is known to our dear heavenly Father.
I further inform you, my beloved friend, that by his divine help, I want to keep the covenant that I have made with my God, and wait for the coming of our Bridegroom Christ Jesus, that when he comes, I may enter in with him to the marriage, and be for ever in joy. O dear sister, I cannot sufficiently praise or thank our God for his unspeakable mercy, that he succors and strengthens me here in this pit into which I have been cast for the word of truth.
Dear sister, remember me poor prisoner in your prayers to God, as I hope that you also do; that it may please him to deliver me soon out of this flesh, so that I may offer up my sacrifice to the praise of his holy name and to the salvation of my soul, so that these enemies may be confounded in their purpose, who think to rob me of my inheritance, through this pit into which they have now cast me; but thanks be to the Lord that succors me in my distress, and is my only helper, to whom I fly for refuge, for Paul says that he is faithful and true, and will not lay upon us more than we are able to bear. Col. 1:12; Ps. 46:1; 1 Cor. 10:13.
Hence, dear sister, always remember your poor, weak brother to the Lord, for the prayer of the righteous avails much.
O dear sister, these cruel wolves have taken from me all my letters which you have sent me, pens, ink, and paper, altogether, and also a few things that I had written myself. Also two letters, one which I had written to my dearest brother H., and another, almost finished, to my brother Willem, and besides one thing and another; but I hope not that any trouble will arise from it.
The fact of our writing was disclosed by one that was confined with me; if I were to write you all of it, my paper would give out. This paper I have received since, from the man that was confined with me in this pit.
Thus, I have been confined here ten days; how much longer I am to remain here, is known to our dear Lord. I was confined here, according to my recollection, on a Friday night, the 27th or 28th of July.
But, my dear sister, always adhere to the truth, which is Christ; be not afraid of these wolves, for our God always succors us, according to his promise, in all distress. Heb. 13:5.
I bid you a cordial adieu, my dear sister, greet my mother most heartily in my name, and all my sisters, our brother Hans, and my dear master, and also all the friends. I pray you, do not let my mother know that they have cast me into this Lazarus’ pit. The Lord be with you, and keep you in his ways always and for ever. Amen.
Written by me your weak brother, by the light of a candle, in a pit which is called _Lazarus’ pit_, where I am confined for the word of truth. The Lord knows my redemption.
HANS BRET.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM HANS BRET, WRITTEN TO HANS C., ONE OF THE BRETHREN IN THE CHURCH.
The great unspeakable grace and peace from God our heavenly Father, who is a Father full of grace and truth, a God of comfort and of peace, rich and abundant is his mercy, and inexpressible is his grace and goodness, which he has shown us through his only begotten Son Christ Jesus our Redeemer and Savior, who has redeemed us from the power of Satan, whose slaves and servants we were through our sins and iniquities. But he loved us, says St. John, and washed and cleansed us in his blood from all our sins and iniquities, with which we were burdened and laden; and made us kings and priests before God his Father. The invincible power of the Holy Ghost strengthen your inner man, so that you may grow up and increase in the faith of the truth which the good God through his unspeakable grace and mercy has revealed to you; that you may with Joshua and Caleb and all God’s righteous ones take the promised land, namely, eternal life. This is the whole wish of my heart to you my brother in Christ Jesus, to the salvation of your soul. Amen.
My beloved brother in Christ Jesus, sanctified and cleansed, and elected of God, I greet you with this my letter, which I write to you here in these my bonds, out of Christian love, that you may know how it is with me, for which I cannot sufficiently praise or thank the good God, who has assisted me, unworthy one, in all my temptations, so that I can say with the prophet David: Where is a God like unto our God, who never forsakes him that trusteth in him; for he that trusteth in the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the prophet says: He that trusteth in the Lord shall not fall, but stand forever as mount Zion. Ps. 125:1. Hence, dear brother, my trust is in the Lord alone, in whom all the righteous have trusted from the beginning of the world; nor were they confounded, but in all tribulation and distress the Lord was their helper, and, according to his promise, succored and preserved them in the water and the fire (Is. 43:2), as we have many examples concerning it in the Scriptures, for our instruction. When we consider how God led the children of Israel dry-shod through the Red Sea, and thus delivered them from the hand of cruel Pharaoh, who persecuted them and attempted also to cross the sea, but they all perished; hereby you may perceive how the Lord delivers him that trusts in him. Again, consider holy and righteous Daniel, who was in the lions’ den, without any food; behold, the Lord did not forsake him, but fed him through the prophet Habakkuk. History of the Dragon 34.
Thus, dear brother, the Lord also feeds those that firmly trust in him with spiritual food, namely, with his holy word, which he has given us as food for our souls. For Christ clearly says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. Matthew 4:4. For as man is fed and nourished by bread, so the inward man is fed and nourished by the word of the Lord. For as a man, when that which is necessary for his sustenance is withheld from him, perishes; so also, my dear, when from the inner man, the soul, there is withheld her food, namely, the word of God, by which she is fed and nourished, she perishes; hence, it is so necessary that we exhort one another, as the apostle Paul says, while it is called To-day, to the keeping of God’s commandments, that the inner man may daily be fed and nourished, and thereby grow up and become strong. Heb. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:2. For the apostle Peter says: I deem it expedient and profitable, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to exhort you, though you are established in the present truth; lest, as Paul says, any of you be seduced or hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 2 Peter 1:12,13; Heb. 3:13. Hence, my dear brother, have in remembrance the words of the holy apostle Paul, who says: Warn them that are disorderly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 1 Thess. 5:14.
O my dearest brother, weary not in the ways of the Lord, neither become slack in keeping God’s commandments; have your delight therein day and night, with all God’s righteous ones, and say with the prophet David: Lord, thy word is a greater comfort and joy to me, than all the treasures and riches of this world. And again: Thy word, O Lord, is dearer to me than much gold or silver. Psalm 1:2; 119.
Consider how all God’s righteous ones comforted themselves with the word of the Lord. So, do also you console yourself with it; have it in remembrance all your life; let it be planted in your soul, that it may save you. James 1:21.
Thus, my beloved brother Hans, I bid you adieu; adieu, if it should be the last time that I write you. I pray you, my dear, persevere steadfastly in exhorting, instructing and teaching, according to the gift which God through his unspeakable grace has given you. If you have received much, dispense liberally; if you have little, communicate also of that little. Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you. 1 Pet. 3:15. Get much gain with that which you have received, so that the Lord may say to you: Come, thou faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Matt. 25:21. Behold, dear brother, if a man is faithful to the Lord, he will not leave him unrewarded for it. Hence, God says in his Revelation to John: He that remains faithful shall receive the crown of eternal life. Rev. 2:10; Matt. 19:29; James 1:12. Do also you, my dearest brother, remain faithful, so that you may with all God’s righteous ones be crowned with the crown of eternal life; to this end may the good God strengthen you, that you may enjoy this forever. Amen.
My dear brother H., my heart and mind writes you indeed more, according to the little gift which I have unworthily received from the Lord; but I lack paper, and I am afraid that you will hardly be able to read this, since the paper blots so. O, I thank you so heartily for what you have so faithfully sent me. I was so glad, that I should not be able to describe my joy to you; for I had not heard from you for a long time. I pray you, thank our brother H. very heartily in my name, for his letter, which I could not read without tears, because of his comforting exhortation. He writes me that I should write a letter to A. H. and one to B. O brethren, I would most gladly do so, rather than eat; but the enemies of the truth have prevented me from it, so that I do not know how I could send you the letters. I know not how I shall send this letter; but I have written it in the hope that our dear Lord would provide a means; and though I would like to write more, I have no more paper. I have written this with a little bilberry juice; I hope that if it pleases the Lord you will send me some writing materials, to employ myself while I must pass my time here. Hence, dear brother, no more for this time, through want of paper.
Herewith I bid you adieu; adieu, my brother, adieu. The God of comfort and of peace, the God of Jacob and of Israel, keep you in the faith of the truth; may he be with you forever. Amen.
I greet you, dear brother, with a holy kiss of peace. Greet my mother very heartily in my name, and all my sisters, and our brother H., my master. Say that I sent her a letter not long ago; but whether she received it, I do not know. Greet all the saints in my name. Grace and peace be with you all. Amen.
Written by me, your weak brother, whom you well know, at present in bonds for the testimony of the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Rom. 1:16.
HANS BRET.
NOTE.--When this great heat of persecution which the papists had kindled everywhere as far as their jurisdiction extended, began to abate in several cities of Holland and Zealand, and especially in the town of Middelborgh, where the Prince of Orange, William I., of worshipful memory, had granted liberty of conscience, for the Anabaptists as well as for others, so that many of the innocent and defenseless lambs of Christ settled down there, and in quietness served God with a thankful heart; some of the citizens of said city, though they had previously themselves been under the galling yoke of popery, envied them for this, and obtained so much from the magistrates there, that there was announced to all the Anabaptists that sojourned there: That they should have to swear allegiance to said city, in the form of an oath, and, moreover, arm themselves, together with other citizens, with external weapons, to resist the enemy; and that if they did not do this, they should be obliged to cease from their trades and occupations tending to the sustenance of the body, to close their houses, etc.
This announcement having been made, the Anabaptists, since they did not think it right to swear any oaths, nor to arm themselves with external weapons, had recourse to the aforementioned Prince of Orange, humbly requesting of him, that they might enjoy the liberty of their conscience, in practicing their faith; and to be permitted faithfully to pay all civil imposts, taxes, and the like, together with others, to be believed on their yea and nay (according to the doctrine of Christ), in place of the oath, and to keep this truly, without evasion, guile, or subtlety.
Thereupon, the Prince, not long after, consented to it, commanding the magistrates there, not to ensnare these people with the aforementioned announcement, nor to oppress their consciences with such burdens. These things, as we have obtained full information in regard to them, we deem profitable and expedient to add here, to the praise of the princely house of Nassau, in the hope that it might prove an example for other magistrates which have not yet attained to this gentleness of disposition to follow.
LETTER OF PRIVILEGE GRANTED BY WILLIAM I., TO THE ANABAPTISTS AT MIDDELBORGH.
_Whereas_, in behalf of certain citizens of this town of Middelborgh, a supplication has been presented to His Excellency, in which they complain that the magistrate of said city recently caused their shops to be closed, and consequently prohibited their occupation, which is nevertheless their only means of supporting their families; they proceeding to this prohibition, for the reason that they should render the customary oath, as others have done; the aforesaid citizens remonstrating the more, because they now for certain long years, without ever having rendered the aforesaid oath, have willingly borne, together with other citizens and inhabitants of said city, all civil imposts, contributions and taxes, without ever having been found in any default, and wherefore also they ought still to be left unmolested, seeing they thereby request nothing but to live in the liberty of their conscience, in respect to which this present war has been undertaken against the King of Spain, by his subjects, and all ceremonies that militate against it are resisted; wherein, by the help of God, it has now come so far, that the aforesaid liberty of conscience has been conserved, and it would therefore be unjust to take it away from the petitioners, who helped to gain the same, not without great peril of body and life, by taxes, contributions, and bearing other burdens; which, after they had presented it in the form of a request to the aforesaid magistrate, it was answered them, that they had to regulate themselves after the institutions and ordinances of the aforesaid town; whereby the aforesaid magistrate seems to endeavor, by the oath, to drive out of the country, to their total destruction, not only their petitioners residing in Middelborgh, but, consequently, innumerable others in Holland and Zealand, who, pursuant to his decrees, have betaken themselves under His Excellency’s protection, whereby no one can derive any profit, but there should only great and signal damage result to these countries, and trade everywhere become greatly diminished; wherefore they humbly petition His Excellency, to consider the matter with compassion, and to take the necessary steps, particularly, seeing the aforesaid petitioners offer to tender their Yea in place of oath, and that the transgressors thereof are to be punished as perjurers: _therefore_, His Excellency having considered the foregoing and caused it to be duly deliberated upon, has, by the previous advice of the Governor and the Councilors of Zealand, ordained and decreed, and ordains and decrees by these presents, that the aforesaid petitioners shall be allowed to use, with the magistrate of the aforesaid town, their Yea offered by them, in place of the oath; provided, that the transgressors thereof are to be punished as perjurers; His Excellency commanding and charging the magistrate of Middelborgh, and all others whom this may concern, not further to oppress the petitioners, contrary to their conscience, with regard to the oath and otherwise, but to allow them to open their shops, and to pursue their occupations, as they have previously done.
All with this provision and understanding, that when greater tranquillity of affairs exists, and the matter has been considered with mature deliberation, proper measures shall be enacted.
Thus done, under his Excellency’s name and seal, in the town of Middelborgh, the 26th of January, A. D., 1577. Sealed with a red wax seal pending from it. Signed:
WILLIAM OF NASSAU.
What ensued thereupon, shall be shown for the following year, 1578. In the meantime, the papists proceeded, as ravening wolves, with all cruelty and tyranny, wherever they bore rule, against the lambs of the flock of Christ; so that many among them had to lay down their lives, as can be seen from the following accounts.
LOUWERENS JANSS NOODTDRUFT, OF DELFT, A. D. 1577.