JOOS KINDT, A. D. 1553. A LETTER OR CONFESSION OF JOOS KINDT, IMPRISONED AT KORTRIJCK, WHERE HE SUBSEQUENTLY LOST HIS LIFE AT THE STAKE, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS, A. D. 1553, RECKONING THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR FROM NEW YEAR’S DAY.

Grace be with you, and peace, from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ; may he comfort and strengthen us with his Holy Spirit, that we may be able to stand against the assaults of the devil, who, as Peter says, walketh about us, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and resist him with a firm faith. Know then, dear friends, that I have such a conflict against the carnal lords, insomuch that they assail me with their sophistries, seeking to draw me from the obedience of our dear Lord; however, I trust that the Lord will succor me, which I do not doubt; for God, comforting his own, says through the prophet Isaiah (49:15): “Though a mother forsake her child, yet will I not forsake thee;” which the Lord shows in me in a wonderful manner—let every tongue praise him. Yea, if I had as much paper as I ever wrote on, and time to write, I could not describe the joy and gladness I experience; yea, my joy is unspeakable.

But N. is sick, and asks that you would diligently entreat the Lord for him; for he is ready to go into the fire, but he cannot resist the enemies of the cross; for they assail him with sophisms, for their teacher, the devil, knows much sophistry, which he showed when he came to tempt our Savior in the wilderness, as is written in the Gospel. Now, if he employed his sophistry on our Savior, I am not cast down, though I have a little of conflict; for, dear friends, they could easily be resisted if they used arguments, but they assail him altogether with lies. Since their father is a liar, as our Savior also told them, they have the nature of their father, which they partly manifested with regard to me, all of which I cannot communicate to you; but I hope that the Lord will give me so much grace that I may write a little about the disputation with the carnal.

Know then, that Ronse and Polet came into the prison on Saturday afternoon, and summoned me before them. When I came to them, I asked them what they wished of me. They replied: “This will be told you.” They inquired how old I was. I replied: “That I do not know; if you want correct information on this point, you must ask my mother.”

Ronse. “Tell us as near as you know.”

Joos. “Between twenty and thirty years.” Then their clerk wrote: “Between thirty and forty.”

Ronse. “When were you to confession last?”

Joos. “Why do you ask this?”

Ronse. “I want to know it.”

Joos. “You did not have me apprehended? you well know how it is with me.”

Ans. “We do.”

Joos. “Of whom are you, or in whose name have you come to me?”

Ans. “In the name of God.”

Joos. “I don’t believe this.”

Ques. “Why?”

Joos. “Because you have apprehended me, to find out how it is with me; for all whom the Lord has sent to go and teach, imprisoned no one; for he sent them out, and commanded them, that if they came to a place, and were not received, they should shake off the dust from their feet, and depart from there.” Matt. 10:14.

Polet. “You have doubtless read, that Paul delivered some to the devil.” 1 Cor. 5:5.

Joos. “Show me where Paul cast them into prison; this I want to know of you.”

Polet. “I don’t know.”

Joos. “Why then do you undertake to quote Scriptures to any one, which you do not understand yourself? yea, more than that, to apprehend people, to bring them to the faith, even if your faith were good, which I do not hold to be the case, for I do not believe that you are from God.”

Ques. “Why?”

Joos. “Because the Lord says: ‘I will have obedience, and not sacrifice’ (1 Sam. 15:22); and because ye do not obey him.”

Ques. “Wherein?”

Joos. “Because Christ commanded to point the erring to the right way; now, you say that I have gone astray—why then did you not show me what is right? for I seek nothing but what is right.”

Ans. “For this purpose we have come.”

Joos. “Then you should have come to the place where I lived.”

Ans. “We did not know where you lived.”

Joos. “You knew it well enough to send the Bailiff.”

Ans. “Had you been a good sheep, it would not have been necessary.”

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