My most beloved wife and sister in the Lord, and all dear brethren and sisters of the church at Gh., after I was sentenced to death, my heart felt inclined to write something to you, and to my beloved wife, whom I commend to you and to the word of God, out of a true, affectionate heart, and genuine, unfeigned brotherly love, which I have to you even unto death. Hence it is my brotherly exhortation and epistle to you all, not to fear those who can kill the body; since after that they can do no more. And, as Peter says: “Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” 1 Pet. 3:14,15. And as he further says (dear brethren and sisters in the Lord): “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Pet. 4:12,13. Well might the apostle exhort us to rejoice; for I can write it with truth, since every thing has now befallen me, except death; however, sentence has been passed upon me. In the first place I had great joy according to the spirit when I was delivered into bonds; though many thoughts and misgivings came to the flesh, yet I rejoiced according to the spirit, that I had been chosen of God, to suffer for his name. In the second place, when I had confessed my faith before the authorities, and was then greatly tortured, I felt that God was with me; for he gave me such strength, that no matter what sufferings and tortures they inflicted upon me, they could get nothing out of me, but what tended to the praise of the Lord, and to my salvation; wherefore they became angry, and asked me whether I would not yet tell; for, said they, “We have power to torture you thus every day.” I said: “My body is before you; do with it as you please.” After all this had taken place, my joy was still greater; I could not express the praise of the Lord, nor sufficiently thank him for the grace he gave me, that I was counted worthy to suffer for his name, and to seal his word with my blood; for the marks which I then received, and the pain, remained in my members unto the last day; the Lord be praised forever, since I well deserved to be chastised for my sins and transgressions. Afterwards I was twice brought before a monk. The first time he wanted to know my faith. I said: “Ask the authorities before whom I confessed it.” He thereupon commenced to talk a great deal about incarnation, and baptism. When he had finished speaking, I asked him whether he meant thereby to maintain his ground; or he meant, that I should interrogate him, and prove the contrary to him; but he would not hear my defense, and began to rail greatly against Menno and his books, which, as he said, he had read much, and found many lies in them. I said: “Bring them all here, and let us discuss them for a week.” He replied: “You are not the man; so much trouble will not be taken with you.” We had many other words yet about his doctrine and church, which it would take too long to write. And thus I left him.
Afterwards I was brought before him again, when another was with him. He wanted to dispute much about the sacrament, baptism and incarnation. But I said: “You would not let me defend it, when I was with you the last time; hence I do not want to speak with you now.” He was not satisfied with this, and said he should compel me to speak, with the instruments of the Margrave; he also asked me whether I was ashamed of my faith. I replied: “I was not ashamed to confess it before the authorities; but I do not want to have anything to do with you people.” We resolved among ourselves that we would all do so; and I would advise everyone, to observe this; for it profits nothing to dispute with them, since they are carnal men. I was then sentenced to death, when my joy became complete, so that I could not express it, since my deliverance was so nigh, and I considered the words of the apostle, where he says: “Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory should be revealed, I might be glad with exceeding joy;” and what he further says: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” 1 Pet. 4:13,14. When I thought upon this, and other passages of Scripture, and when I saw how transient tribulation and suffering were, and what beautiful promises were given me, and that I was to enter into rest with my dear brethren and sisters who went before and are under the altar, and wait for all our fellow brethren and sisters that must yet follow us, then all tribulation had to flee from me, when I beheld this with the spirit.
Therefore, my dear brethren, I do not write you this out of vain glory, but for the consolation and strengthening of your hearts, so that you may not be afraid of those who can kill the body, since after that they can do no more; but that you, dear brethren and sisters, may always be manful, and ever remember your leaders, who have spoken unto you the word of God, even as Paul says: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” Heb. 13:7. Hence, my most beloved, give attendance always among yourselves, to exhortation, to reading, to praying; and do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, but exhort one another to love and good works, and be firmly united in love, and use hospitality one to another; always be of one heart and of one soul among yourselves, so that when you get into bonds (if this be the will of the Lord) your heart may be unencumbered.
Herewith I commend you to the Lord, and to the word of his grace. Amen. Farewell, farewell to you all, my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord.
Written by me, Jelis Bernaerts, to you, my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, from the bottom of my heart, and out of true love. Amen.
JAN BOSCH OF BERGH, OR JAN DURPS, A. D. 1559.
This Jan Bosch, commonly called Jan Durps, was a pious, honorable man, and a linen-weaver by trade. He lived at Maestricht, and though the divine knowledge of the truth was greatly estranged and obscured, the light of divine grace appeared unto him, and the true evangelical truth was presented to him, and he thus joined the church of the Lord, fulfilling the obedience instituted and commanded by Christ, the Son of God (Mark 16:16); and as he for a time gave good heed to his calling, it was entrusted him of the church, and he was ordained, that he should take the oversight somewhat of the church, and minister to her with the word of the Lord, by reading as well as exhorting; which, when he, though with much reluctance, had consented, he faithfully did, putting his talent to usury, to the best of his ability.
As this tended to the glory of God, and to the edification of the church, Satan, who is ever the enemy of everything that is good and God-pleasing, sought to destroy this good work, and to this end inspired his ministers to report this good man to the authorities, as a heretic and Anabaptist. The authorities, deceived by this spirit, thought they were doing God service, and proceeded with rashness. One of the burgomasters, in broad daylight, went with his constables to the place where Jan Durps, under his master, was working at the loom: he apprehended him, and, leading him through the city, brought him to the Landtskroon (the city hall), and imprisoned him there. He was immediately examined by priests and monks, who approached him in many ways. He plainly confessed his faith to them, and that he was baptized upon faith in Christ Jesus; also, what he thought of the sacrament. All this he confessed according to the Scriptures, reproving the idolatry which they committed therewith.
When this petty council and the priests had examined him, and he had confessed his faith, and immovably adhered to it, they deemed the case so grave as to be criminal in its nature; hence they delivered him to the lords through the Bailiff. These took him, and put him in prison, in which Jan remained for a time in confinement. In the meantime his wife sent him a letter, in which she exhorted him, to be of good cheer in his sufferings, and to adhere faithfully to the truth unto death; which he very thankfully received, comforting, in return, his wife, and exhorting her, and the friends together, that they should adhere to the truth, and continue therein unto the end; he also earnestly requested the prayers of the faithful. He suffered many tortures, because they sought to extort from him who, in the city, were his brethren and fellow-believers. But the Lord kept his lips, so that not a single name could be obtained from him, however greatly he was tortured for it.
The time having arrived, sentence was pronounced upon him, namely, that he should, according to the imperial decree, be burnt alive to ashes; to which he listened with good cheer, and submitted to it, suffering himself to be bound, and led between many sergeants armed with sticks and halberds, which now and then descended upon the head of some individual approaching Jan too closely, in order to hear his words; for on his way from the prison to the Vrijthof, Jan spoke much to the people, telling them to remember that a man had been among them, who had told them the truth. He urged them hard to repent, amend their life, and seek God’s grace. When he arrived in the Vrijthof, where the scaffold had been erected, said place was found to be filled with arquebusiers fully armed, all the four companies of arquebusiers of the city having been commanded to appear there with their arms. Jan artlessly ascended the scaffold too, and was led into a hut by the executioner, who then set fire to the same in several places. As Jan stood in the flames, he cried aloud several times: “O Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit”: and was thus burnt to ashes as a faithful witness of Jesus Christ. This took place on the 23d of September, in the year 1559.