My dearly beloved and obedient children, I wish you an honorable, virtuous and godly life in the fear of God, all the days of your life, to the praise of the Father, and the salvation of your souls, as an affectionate greeting. Amen.
My most beloved sons, all three of you, you are well aware now, I trust, that I am in bonds here for the testimony of Christ our Savior, to the praise of his Almighty Father, and wait with patience daily, when it pleases him, to offer up my body and soul to the magnifying of his holy name. I entreat you, my dear sons, with aged Tobias, that you will honor your poor bereaved mother, who is deprived of everything for the name of the Lord, all the days of your life; for she brought you forth with great suffering and pain, which I well know, and has with great care and diligence helped to bring you so far with the help of the Lord. Tob. 4:3. I have also been your protector hitherto, with great care and diligence to bring you up in the fear of God, to his honor. Now it is the will of the Lord, that we must part; but let it not grieve you. For if you pursue virtue, and walk in the fear of God, and keep his commandments all the days of your life, we shall hereafter meet in one fold (John 10:16) with all God’s chosen children, at the resurrection of the just. And I admonish you with Tobias, that you will fear God all the days of your life, never consent to sin, nor transgress God’s commandments; and that you will eat your bread with the hungry, and give alms of that which the Lord gives you. In short, I give you the same testament which Tobias gave his son; you are able to read. I pray that you will often read it. And all that our holy fathers commanded their children, I also leave unto you; may you diligently observe it. And I now bless you all my obedient, most dearly beloved children, with that God with whom Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all God’s chosen friends, blessed their children. Further, I admonish you Joos, as my eldest son, that you and Hansken, my second son, will be the protectors of your poor mother, in the fear of God, all the days of your life. And I also charge you, Barbertgen, my dear daughter, to be obedient to your mother, and to help care for all your little sisters, and for Pierken. Learn also to read, and be diligent in every good work, that you may spend your life in holiness and in all the fear of God, like Sarah, the wife of young Tobias (Tobit 3:15), and associate not with the wanton and frivolous daughters of this world, whose end will be destruction; but be sober, honorable and just in all your dealings, so that you may be prudent, being adorned with every virtue, and that when Christ our Bridegroom comes you may be ready with the five wise virgins, to enter with the Bridegroom into the kingdom of his Father. And now I charge you, Joos and Hansken, that together with Barbertgen, your obedient sister, you will care for your three little sisters, and for Pierken, and teach them to read and to work, so that they may grow up in all righteousness, to the honor of God and the salvation of their souls. Be diligent to work with your hands that which is honorable, remembering the words of the apostle: “It is more blessed to give than to receive;” so that you may not be burdensome to any through idleness. Eph. 4:28; Acts 20:35. Remain with your mother as long as it please the Lord, and in all things show yourselves a pattern of good works. Tit. 2:7. But if ye be servants, I exhort you, to be obedient to your lord or master, and to please them in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing good fidelity in all things; that you may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God [that bringeth salvation] hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Tit. 2:9–14. I admonish you all, my dear children, that you will do this; and comfort your mother, and often, when you have time, read to her a chapter or two. And spend the time which God gives you, in all sobriety and righteousness, with prayer and supplication to God, that he would keep you from the evil. Have no fellowship with the children of this world, that you may not become partakers of their evil deeds; always walk with wise men, and you shall become wise, namely, strong and very bold, so that you may eschew evil. Do all things according to the law of God, and depart neither to the right nor to the left; neither add nor take away therefrom, so that you may walk wisely whithersoever you go. Be not terrified; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go, and will be your Protector. Always speak the truth, and let not your mouth become accustomed to lying, for the mouth that belieth, slayeth the soul; but when you speak, speak the word of God, and the Lord your God will bring you from righteousness to righteousness; for nothing is hid before him; his eyes are as a flame of fire. Zech. 8:16; Lev. 19:11; Rev. 1:14.
Herewith I take leave from you forever, my dear children, until at the resurrection, and commend you all to Almighty God and to the word of his grace. Amen. And may God’s Spirit ever be present with you, to comfort and strengthen you in all righteousness.
Written by me, Joris Wippe, your father, imprisoned at Dordrecht, in the Vuylgate, for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
HANS SMIT, HENDRICK ADAMS, HANS BECK, MATTHIJS SMIT, DILEMAN SNIJDER, AND SEVEN OTHERS, A. D. 1558.
In the year 1558, brother Hans Smit, a minister of the word of God, was sent forth by the church to seek and gather those that were eager for the truth. Acts 13:3. When he therefore, being divinely called, undertook to travel through the Netherlands, he, together with five brethren and six sisters, was apprehended in the city of Aix-la-Chapelle, on the ninth of January. While they were assembled there in a house, to speak of the word of God, and were engaged in prayer, many servants and children of Pilate came there in the night through treachery, with spears, halberds, and bare swords, and well provided with ropes and bonds, and surrounded the house, and bound and apprehended these children of God. They even took with them a mother with her infant that lay in the cradle. But the prisoners were valiant and comforted one another, to be undismayed, since they were imprisoned for the truth of God; and being thus of good cheer, they began to sing for joy. They were very soon separately confined, in which the sisters rejoiced, and sang, so that the people were astonished. In the morning they were brought before the Judge, who talked with each separately, and then remanded them to prison, when he perceived their steadfastness. However, the next day the minister was again summoned before the lords, that he should tell them, how many he had baptized, who they were and where the church held their meetings. But he told them, that they should know that he would rather lose his life (John 15:13) than by telling this become a traitor, whereupon he was tortured and racked for about a quarter of an hour, to which he willingly submitted, himself taking off his clothes, and going to the rack. When they could accomplish nothing by it, they went away, but soon returned, and said: “You must tell us what we have asked you, or we shall torture you so as to rack your limbs asunder.” They also questioned him with regard to infant baptism. He replied that infant baptism was a human institution, and that as such he regarded it, and not as the true Christian baptism.
They also asked him what he thought of the sacrament. He replied: “I think much of it; but that which the priests use is not at all the true supper of Christ, but a piece of idolatry.”
Thereupon they bound him hand and foot, and tied to his feet a large stone weighing little less than a hundred pounds, and thus drew him up, so that the ring on the stone broke, and the stone remained on the ground. But they took a rope, fastened it to the stone, in place of the broken ring, and hung the stone to his foot, and left him suspended thus for some time; however, they could not accomplish their purpose. Hence they let him down, and put him in prison until Sunday morning, when the lords came from the city with seven priests, who asked him concerning his calling; whereupon he said that he had not put himself into the ministry, but God and his Spirit in his church: for as God sent his Son, and the Son the apostles into all the world, so he still sends his ministers through his Spirit, that they should first preach the word of God, and then baptize such as hear, understand and believe it, but not young infants. They also asked him concerning the magistracy, whether he regarded it as Christian or not. He replied that in the first place he regarded them as ministers of God, but that they were deceived and wrongly taught by the priests, and not incorporated into the Christian church. They also inquired of him the origin of the magistracy. He replied that office and power are of God. They then asked him, whether they were Christians. He answered that if they denied and forsook themselves, took up the cross, abandoned their tyranny and pomp, and followed Christ, they could be Christians, not otherwise. They also interrogated him with regard to swearing. He said that Christ had forbidden it. And much more, which it would take too long to write.
Finally they asked him concerning the incarnation of Christ. He said that he believed that Christ was true God and true man, sin alone excepted. At last they told him, that if he would renounce his baptism, and confess that he had erred, they would show him favor. But he replied that he had taught the pure truth, so he would adhere to it. Thereupon they said that he was in their city, and that he could not do so there; and that if they did not punish this, the King or the new Emperor should punish them on their bodies; thus they defended themselves like Pilate. But the brother said that it would go hard with them for this; for though God forgave every sin, yet he should judge the innocent blood, and they should not think that they should escape punishment, if they killed him, since the matter should come before Christ, who should judge it, and take care of it, at his day. After this they put him back into prison, where they left him until Monday evening, when the Judge came again, with several others, and also a monk, to dispute with him. But they did not accomplish much, for he put the monk to utter confusion, so that the latter was glad to get away. Many other monks and priests were sent yet, to dispute with him; but they were all put to shame and derision, and were not able to cause this pious man to apostatize. Shortly after they were brought forth again and examined; but God continually gave them bold utterance, and wisdom, so that they could find no fault, or cause of death in him, save only that they did not sufficiently esteem the Emperor. At one time they brought to brother Henderick alone a subtle serpent and blasphemer, and said: “You don’t want any ecclesiastics (monks and priests); hence we have brought to you a learned layman, to instruct you.” But Henderick said that he did not want to be instructed by him, unless he were sufficiently instructed by God and his word, since he did not want to seek life from the dead. This learned man then wanted to prove infant baptism, asserting that the apostles had ordained it. But Henderick replied and spoke to him in such a manner that he had to confess openly, that no infants were baptized in the days of the apostles, and that they had no faith during their infancy. This, Henry wrote upon the table with a piece of chalk, and called upon the obstinate lords to bear witness to it, and also how he had been silenced. He further said: “Thus will all your learned men be confounded before the word of the Lord.”
Several of the lords said that if these should be put to death, they should leave home. Once the brethren and sisters were all twelve left together from four o’clock in the morning until ten in the evening. They were joyful and of good cheer, and conversed with one another from the word of God, and began to pray and praise God.