The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians / who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660

by Thieleman J. van Braght

1. That they with all true witnesses of God believe and confess, by virtue of the holy Scriptures: That Jesus Christ, blessed forever, came from above from heaven, and proceeded from God his heavenly Father, and is therefore pure and spotless, and is not of Adam’s sinful and corruptible nature.

2. Because they were baptized upon their faith, according to the ordinance of Christ, and, on the contrary, confessed that infant baptism was not of God, but contrary to his word; and that it is well known, from Christ’s own words, that infants are fully in the grace of God, and in a saved condition, without baptism or any other ceremony having to be administered to them, they therefore hold, that all that is done by such means, as being necessary for the salvation of infants is nothing but vain human presumption.

3. Concerning the Lord’s Supper, they confess, that they also observed it, according to the command of the Lord, and according to the institution of Christ, as he, blessed forever, held it with his apostles; in which each is to examine himself well, before he goes to this table, and that Christ did not hold his supper with drunkards and adulterers, or with such of whom evil things were known, as is customary with the papists.

4. On the contrary, they emphatically rejected the papists’ little piece of baked bread, or consecrated host, which they recommend to people as the true, essential Son of God, from whom to entreat grace and salvation in time of need; and confessed that they do grossly err, who worship such bread, or put any divine confidence in it.

5. Because they could not recognize the Pope and the Roman church as the church of God, but opposed it and all its ceremonies; neither could they hold the traffic which they carry on therein, to be of God.

6. Because they recognized no other punishment of transgressors in the church, than evangelical separation; by which the evil can be kept away from the good, in order to present to the Lord a pure church, in which none that are unclean or polluted may dwell, but from which they are expelled. This church they confess to be the queen and bride of Christ.

By this and the like the fire of the Gospel burned so mightily in Haarlem, notwithstanding the violence of these tyrants, that in the very night when they were thus accused, a glorious exhortation was fearlessly preached to the edification of all, by the godfearing Bouwen Lubberts, in Schouts’ street; which exhortation did much good.

When, on the 26th of April 1557, the abovementioned Joriaen and Clement were brought forth to death, the common people greatly commiserated them; but they said: “Weep not for us, but for your sins, and repent truly.” After they had offered up their prayer to God with a fervent heart, each was placed at a stake, and they said: “We suffer not for evil-doing, but only for the obedience of the truth.” And having, with a firm trust, commended their spirits or souls into the hands of God, they courageously offered their necks for the truth, and were first strangled, and then burnt; and thus they, to the consolation and joy of many pious persons, continued steadfast unto the end in the accepted truth of the holy Gospel.

When they had finished their tyranny by strangling and burning, they, in order to quench their doctrine, also thought to burn their books (for as old writers tell us, Joriaen Simons was engaged in selling books); but when the books were perceived to be on fire, there arose such an uproar among the people, that the lords took to flight, whereupon the books were thrown among the multitude, who reached for them with eagerness; so that, through divine providence, the truth, instead of being quenched, as it was sought to do, was spread the more, by the reading of so great a number of these books.

The abovementioned Mary Joris also remained faithful in this trial, and likewise confessed her faith boldly before the lords, and was ready to surrender her life, together with her brethren, for the name of the Lord. But being pregnant, she had to wait until her delivery; however, the Lord ordered it otherwise—she died in travail, and was thus released from the flesh, so that these tyrants could not fulfill their desire with her. And thus she fell asleep in the Lord, with her brethren.