# Conclusion Of The Sixteenth Century.

16th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: CONCLUSION OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

We will take leave of this sixteenth century with
a certain conclusion appended to the Martyrs Mirror
of the year 1631; wherein we will say nothing,
as far as respects the sense of the same, but what
our dear fellow believers have said in that work.

We have here presented to you, kind reader,
many beautiful examples (as we have found them in
printed works of former times, as well as in those
of more recent date, from different regions, from
the criminal records of city and country), of men,
women, youths and maidens, who faithfully followed
their Savior, Christ Jesus, in the true faith,
feared God from the inmost of their soul, and with
a pure heart sought eternal life; who flourished and
shone as bright lights, before all the world, in the
love and power of God, their mouths flowing in
wisdom with the holy word and doctrine of the
Lord; which appeared more in the manifestation of
the Spirit, than in elegant language or human wisdom;
for their thoughts, words and actions were all
to please their Leader and only Shepherd, for
whose name’s sake they gladly delivered up their
lives into temporal death, as not seeking to possess
a worldly and peaceful kingdom here upon this
earth, but, as true strangers, to journey to the eternal
and heavenly fatherland, well knowing and having
experienced, that they that will live godly must
suffer persecution. There must also be noticed the
difference between the children of God and the
children of unrighteousness, between the persecuted
and the persecutors, because we know, and it can
clearly be shown from the holy Scriptures, that
from the beginning of the world the unrighteous,
whose works were evil, always envied, reviled, persecuted
and oppressed those that were righteous
and practiced virtue, for an unreasonable zeal impelled
them to it. And it has been observed, that
many times the teachers or leaders, who ought to
have taught and led the people to the true religion,
and into the way of life, misled them to idolatry and
into the way of error and death. The shepherds,
who ought to have carefully fed the sheep of the
Lord with the word of God, and protected them
against the ravening wolves, have fattened themselves,
and paid no attention to the flock, but presented
to them mostly human doctrine and the
reasonings of their own mind; clothed themselves
with the wool of the sheep, and thus, in the appearance
of sheep but the nature of wolves, themselves
been disturbers and devourers of the flock,
or have delivered them into the talons of the eagle,
and the teeth of the lion. So also, the ministers of
God, who were endowed with great honor and dominion
by the Lord, and who had received the
sword to punish the wicked and to protect the good,
did not content themselves with these high offices
and honor, but, abusing their power, through instigation
or ignorant zeal, laid their hands in the
Lord’s husbandry, and inconsiderately plucked off
the wheat for the tares; and though it tended to the
salvation of the oppressed, it was nevertheless a
presumptuous procedure, thus to root out, destroy
and thoughtlessly condemn with an unjust judgment,
the green plants in the Lord’s field, before the harvest;
for no one but the Lord himself can truly
know who is worthy of the fire or of the garner.

Hence there are no savants upon earth wise
enough to step into any office of the only wise God,
and to execute the judgment which he has reserved
for himself; for who can fathom man’s heart, save
he that sees all things, and knows all mysteries,
who penetrates the hearts and reins, and knows the
thoughts of all men. Such things indeed are not
man’s province, for men are often, though they
think they are standing, cumbered with sin, unbelief
and perverted views, much more than they are
aware of; and all that men know and believe here
is but in part. Besides, the examiners of the faith
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can easily be blinded or deceived by lies and a
hypocritical life.

Hence those who would defend persecuting and
killing for matters of faith, and represent and urge
it as right, accomplish no good by their fury, but
instead of good wheat they gather much impure
chaff, and fill the sheepfold with dissembling, hypocritical
goats. And if any one thinks, that it does
not behoove a king or prince to tolerate all sorts of
doctrines, persuasions or heretics in his country,
but that he may practice such a religion in it, as he
understands to be needful for the salvation of his
subjects, and to prohibit all others; such a one
must also consider this, that if in any country several
princes, differing in religion, should come to
rule one after another, and each one, seeking to enforce
his faith, pollute the land with the blood of its
inhabitants, such a country would be nothing else
than a hell, or a pool full of disquietude and oppression,
where the minds of men would be in such
lamentable misery, as ships, which on the dreary
and turbulent ocean are rocked hither and thither
in the storm by all sorts of winds, till they at last
suddenly perish. But how can they so greatly hate
and cast out any one for the faith, even though he
should err? this is not the nature of the children of
God, who do not oppress even the unrighteous,
even as it is not the nature of the sheep to devour
the wolves, but to flee from them, and suffer devouring.

And why will they force any one to the faith,
which only God can give to man? He that errs,
errs for himself; if he falls, he falls unto his Lord,
who can and will lift him up again, for he calls and
invites every one to it, offering to him water and
fire, life and death; each may choose what he will.
And this choosing, seeking or finding of a faith to
his salvation, is certainly as free to every citizen or
inhabitant, as it is to the king or prince; for does
not Christ call to him all that are burdened and
heavy laden? Hence no one may think, that such
calling concerns only the rulers, and that it is
enough for the subjects, to look to and follow them.
O no! each shall have to give an account for himself;
for at the last judgment every one’s heart,
whatever his rank or title, shall be equally closely
searched; the counsel of every heart shall be made
manifest; each shall receive reward according to his
own works; and it shall not concern only the princes
or the shepherds. No one shall there be responsible
for another, but every one shall find his own
burden heavy enough to carry. However, one
need not be surprised, as though some new or
strange thing happened, if God thus tries and purifies
his elect. For if even the Prince of life and of
salvation had to enter into his glory through much
suffering; if the way to get into the joyful kingdom
was so narrow for him, how shall his followers get
there, except by the same way? What guilt was
there in him? What wickedness, uproar, or crimes
did he commit? Why was this harmless, innocent,
spotless Lamb (which sought the harm of no one,
but the welfare of all) persecuted so malignantly?
What made the blind scribes so incensed at him?
and why were they so exceedingly eager to follow
the advice of inconsiderate Caiaphas? And was not
the cause of all this the fact that mad ignorance
urged them on? which so ofttimes inflamed the
heads of the people, so that they (as though it had
been a great service to God) wanted to exercise dominion
over the minds as well as over the bodies of
men, and use the sword to constrain the faith as well
as to civil unity. However not all rulers were infected
with this madness, for it was seen that the
Gentiles, who were called strangers to the knowledge
of God (as Felix, Festus, Agrippa, Gallius,
and the like), were more considerate in well administering
the office they had received, in careful
maintenance of the common peace, and, according
to Gamaliel’s wise counsel, committing to God the
dominion over the faith, than the envious Jews, who
according to the promise ought to have been children
of God and true branches in the true olive tree.
And thus we see, that God, who does all things according
to his good pleasure, at some times and
places, still grants such authorities who do not compel
their subjects in matters of faith, but only seek their
peace and welfare; even as we in our time lived to
see a Polish and also a French king, who did not so
strictly examine their subjects concerning their faith,
nor investigate whether the same agreed with the
common belief; but solely, whether their course of
action tended to hinder or advance the welfare of
the country, which they considered with sincere
love and sought to promote.

Herein also not too much praise can be bestowed
upon the Lords States of the United Netherlands,
who, however vehemently they have sometimes
been incited to it, do also not consent to such blind
zeal in the way of constraint of conscience and investigation
of faith. And since we are commanded to
pray God for the magistrates, that we may lead a
quiet, peaceable and godly life under them, how
much more are we bound to thank God for his loving
kindness, who also grants us the grace, that we
may dwell under the protection of such authorities
who oppose the wicked zeal of these blood-thirsty
tyrants of conscience (as we have now enjoyed it in
this country for about fifty years), and who according
to their ability execute their offices, leaving the
dominion and investigation of man’s heart and conscience
to God.

We are also most solemnly bound to pray the
Most High for them, that he will constantly keep
them in this purpose, and moreover give them wisdom
and understanding, so to rule their country
and people, that all may tend and conduce to the
peace of the subjects and the honor of God; that
he may also give them such believing hearts, that
they may truly know whereto they are set here by
God, and, finally, walk before him in such a godfearing
manner, that at the last day (when the crucified
Jesus Christ shall appear with his mighty
angels, in the clouds of heaven, as an almighty
Potentate, Victor and glorious King, to execute
vengeance upon all those that have not known
God, and not obeyed the Gospel) they may also
be glorified with all God’s saints, and appear with
the elect believers in the resurrection and the revelation
of the heavenly glory, to be clothed with the
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same, by the power of Christ, and with him to inherit
the imperishable glory in perfection, and possess
it forever and ever, without end. Amen.





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