I then told them that their house was all on fire, kindled by the flames of hell, and that they should first extinguish that, before coming to see whether our house was in danger of fire. Whereupon they went away; one of the priests came no more. In this manner I dealt also with Sir Anthony van Hille; he tormented the others, but let me alone.
Herewith I commend my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord into the hands of the Almighty God and Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Written while in prison for the testimony of Christ. I lay in a dark dungeon for a month; I am now in a deep, round hole, where there is a little more light, and here I have written this letter. I hope to offer up my sacrifice this week, if it is the Lord’s will, together with those whom the Lord has foreordained thereto; for if it does not take place this week, it will no doubt be deferred for two months yet, because no court will be held for six weeks. Know, that our brethren and sisters are of good cheer and courage, through the grace of the Lord; God be praised for it. I beseech you, by the brotherly love which you bear to me, that you send this letter to Friesland, particularly to Emdenland; I mean this same letter, as soon as you can; you may copy it, but make haste with it. I kindly desire that it be preserved, so that it may not be torn or soiled. The brethren that are in the dungeon with me, greet you all with the peace of God. We daily pray to the Lord for you; do so also for us. Walk in the peace of the Lord, and it will be well with you. When this letter has been read, send it to Antwerp, that it may be sent to the church at Emden, so that it may be read to every one; this I desire of my dear brethren, through the brotherly love which you bear to me.
A LETTER BY HANS VON OVERDAM, WHICH HE SENT TO THE LORDS OF THE LAW, AT GHENT AND TO THE COUNCILORS, THE DAY BEFORE HIS APPREHENSION.
Understand well:
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear, and he that reads, let him attend, and judge with the understanding of the holy Scriptures; but woe to him that judges without understanding. Hearken, I speak to you, O carnal generation, you Ishmaelites, who boast of being Christians, because you are born of water without the Spirit, and persecute the children of the promise, who, through faith in the word of God, are born of the water and of the Spirit; yea, you persecute them, as Ishmael persecuted Isaac, as Esau did Jacob, and as the Jews persecuted Christ. Even so the antichristians, who are born of the flesh, now persecute the Christians, who are born of the Spirit, who shall receive the promise of the everlasting kingdom through Christ, who is the heir of all things, and causes his kingdom to be proclaimed through the Gospel, unto repentance and true sorrow for dead works, through faith in him; they contemn his witnesses, etc. This is the wind, O eagle, mark! which bloweth where it listeth, and thou canst not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. Hear now his voice, which the Most High has reserved unto the latter times, to reveal to thee thy transgressions and punishment, who now begins to deliver his people through much misery and tribulation.
Therefore, mark! O thou eagle, the end of thy time is very nigh; art thou not the fourth beast? O yes, thou art the beast seen by Daniel (Dan. 7:7), which devoured everything with his iron teeth, and stamped the residue with his feet, and brought forth the most wicked little horn. Dan. 7:7,8. Thou hast dwelt a long time upon the earth with deceit, and hast not judged the earth with truth. For thou hast afflicted the meek, thou hast hurt the peaceable, thou hast loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of them that brought forth fruit, and hast cast down the walls of such as did thee no harm. Therefore is thy wrongful dealings come up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto the Mighty. And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, that the earth may be refreshed, and may return, being delivered from thy violence, and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of him that made her, whose judgment shall be better and more just than thine, O thou eagle! Therefore, shall thy wicked heads which remain to the last, be the end of the eagle to accomplish his most wicked wickedness, together with his wicked feathers, which also are kept unto the last. Therefore hear, vain body of eagle, who vainly boast of what you are not, namely, Christians. Hear also, you most wicked claws, which are willing and ready to destroy and rend what your most wicked heads command you, through the counsel of liars, whom they love. Why do you rejoice in the misery and fall of the poor lambs and sucklings, who feed still on milk, and whom you keep imprisoned with violence, and whose souls you murder with false, deceitful wiles: who have heard the truth only a year or two at the most; you have none as yet, that can instruct you in all the articles of faith? Be ashamed of your boasting, that through your carnal, blind, learned men you have overcome the innocent, with subtle, deceitful wiles and broken Scriptures. Oh woe, woe! for the great misery and the terrible times, that wickedness has gained so much the upper hand, that truth is not permitted as much as openly to defend itself. Let the misery, violence, and great distress of the pregnant and the sucklings of these times ascend to the ears of the Most High, because no help, comfort, or assistance can be rendered them by those whom the Lord has endowed with more grace and gifts to stop the mouths of adversaries.
But perhaps you say: Let them come forward then, that are better endowed, and have received more grace. To this we reply, that the wolf might call for a long while before the sheep would come; they well knowing that he would tear them with great cruelty, and without right and reason. Alas, alas! what awful judgment and terrible punishment from the fierce and devouring wrath of God shall fall upon those who without mercy distress, persecute and murder the innocent and godfearing, and themselves live so ungodly in all the unrighteous works of the flesh, so that they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. O, thou spiritual Babylon, how shall the Lord visit and avenge upon you the innocent souls and the blood of his witnesses; for all this is found in thee. Thou hast made the kings of the earth, and all nations, so drunken with the wine of spiritual whoredom, that they can neither see nor hear the truth. O that we might once freely defend ourselves publicly with the word of God, in the presence of a large, flaming fire, against all you learned doctors, licentiates, priests and monks, who help strengthen, protect, preserve and maintain the kingdom of antichrist, and that the vanquished party should be cast into the fire; then it would not be necessary to torment and distress the poor, innocent lambs, and your faith could be tried, as to how it accords with the truth; then there would be no need of washing the hands with Pilate, or of the imperial mandate, and the authorities would remain free from the blood of the innocent, if they would not let the word of God be judge over the faith. But no, the false prophets and deceivers well know that their trickery and deceit would be made far too much manifest thereby. Therefore they cry just as assiduously as did the scribes and Pharisees; “Crucify him, crucify him.” The mandate of the Emperor must prevail. Thus it was in the beginning of the fourth beast, and so it is now at the end of it. Let him that can comprehend with it, observe with understanding, that the end is the worst of all.
“Princess, repent and amend your ways; for the end of all things is at hand. Woe unto you false prophets who resist the truth, even as the Egyptian magicians resisted Moses; but your wickedness shall yet be made manifest to all men, even as it already begins. Woe unto you champion antichrist, who put on the time-honored customs of the Roman church as an armor with which to defend yourselves against the truth, and use the mandate of the Emperor as a shield, and wield the sword of the magistracy, in every country to shed the innocent blood of those who will not defend themselves with temporal or carnal weapons, but only with the word of God, which is our sword, and which is sharp and two-edged. But we are daily greatly slandered by those who say that we defend our faith with the sword, as did those of Munster. May the Almighty God preserve us from such abominations.
Be it known to you, noble Lords, Councilors, Burgomasters and Judges, that we recognize your officers as right and good; yea, as ordained and instituted of God, that is, the secular sword for the punishment of evil-doers, and the protection of the good, and we desire to obey you in all taxes, tributes and ordinances, as far as it is not contrary to God. And if you find us disobedient in these things, we will willingly receive our punishment as malefactors. God, who is acquainted with every heart, knows that this is our intention. But understand, ye noble Lords, that the abuse of your stations or offices we do not recognize to be from God, but from the devil, and that antichrist, through the subtlety of the devil, has bewitched and blinded your eyes, so that you do not know yourselves, who you are, and how sorely you have incurred the wrath of God. Be sober, therefore, and awake, and open the eyes of your understanding, and see against whom you fight, that it is not against man, but against God. Therefore we will not obey you; for it is the will of God, that we shall be tried thereby. Hence we would rather, through the grace of God, suffer our temporal bodies to be burned, drowned, beheaded, racked or tortured, as it may seem good to you, or be scourged, banished, or driven away, and robbed of our goods, than show you any obedience contrary to the word of God, and we will be patient herein, committing vengeance to God; “for we know him that hath said, “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.” And again, “The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:30,31. And the spirit testifies, that this is at hand, and has already commenced.