Confession Of Jacques D’Auchy, Made Before The Commissary And The Inquisitor.

On the 20th of January of said year, I was again brought before the same inquisitor. He asked me: “To what conclusion have you come in regard to what I laid before you concerning baptism and the sacrament, and what are your views in the matter?” Jac. “I have nothing to tell you than that you have already heard from me.” Inq. “Then, if I hear right, you remain opinionated and obstinate?” Jac. “My lord, I should be sorry to be obstinate against my own conscience; but as you cannot prove to me by the Scriptures that which you believe, namely, that the baptism of infants is an ordinance of God, and an apostolical practice, and also, that the bread and the wine are changed into flesh and blood, when the priest has pronounced the words over the bread, this seems to me sorcery, and I cannot understand it so.” Inq. “You may not doubt that the change takes place through the power of God, for I have sufficiently proven it to you by the Scriptures of God; but you will not believe.” Jac. “My lord, do not say so; for if you had proven it to me by the Scriptures, I should gladly believe it; for all my salvation lies in God’s holy word.” Inq. “I have quoted to you the word of God; but you believe nothing but your fanaticism and opinion.” Jac. “My lord, I beg you not to think this; if I knew better, or understood it differently, I should not wish to resist the word of God against my conscience, being in the state in which I am, namely, imprisoned for my life, in daily expectation of death; or it might well be said that I was the most miserable and unfortunate man that ever lived upon earth, that I should voluntarily and premeditatedly seek pain and suffering here until death, in order to obtain eternal damnation.” Inq. “Yes, my child, take good heed what you do; for if you die in this evil faith and doctrine you have, you are damned to all the devils.” Jac. “O my lord, how dare you speak so? It is written: ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge (says the Lord), ye shall be judged.’ ” Matt. 7:1,2. Inq. “I judge you according to truth.” Jac. “My lord, do not say that; for you know not what you judge.” Inq. “O yes, I do.” And taking up an inkstand, which stood on the table, he said to me: “As sure as I know that I hold this inkstand, so assured am I, that if you continue in this doctrine, and die thus, you will never see the face of God, but will be eternally damned.” Jac. “My lord, do not judge so; for you usurp God’s place, and rob him of his honor; for judgment belongs unto him alone.” Inq. “Do you think that I do not know what I am saying? and that I do not see that you are in error? no heretics shall enter into paradise.” Jac. “My lord, you think that we are in error; but as you people think of us, so we think of you.” Inq. “O it is easy to know through the word of God, who are in error and heresy.” Jac. “True, it is easy to know for those to whom the Lord has given the grace and wisdom. And for this reason I beg you, my lord, not to take it amiss, if I speak somewhat boldly with you, and open my heart to 579 you.” Inq. “No indeed.” Jac. “My lord, as you people think that we are false prophets and deceivers, so we think that you are; as you think that we err, so we think that you err; as you think that we deceive the people, so we think that you deceive them, and upon this we forsake life and all that we have in the world, to show to you people, and to seal with our blood, the faith which we have in God.” Inq. “Nevertheless, this only tends to your damnation.” Jac. “If it tends to our damnation, we are of all men under heaven the most miserable (1 Cor. 15:19); for we are cast out, despised and rejected as abominable before all the world (1 Corinthians 4:9), and flee from place to place, so that we suffer continually in the flesh, and have no rest, and, according to what you say, we are also to suffer after this life: no, no, my lord, we feel quite a different witness and promise through the word of God.” Inq. “This arises from the fact that you are deceived; but it will avail you nothing.” Jac.