Conclusion of the Sixteenth Century

We will take leave of this sixteenth century with a certain conclusion appended to the Martyrs' Mirror of the year 1631; in which we will say nothing, so far as the sense of it is concerned, 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 part 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 gave up their lives into temporal death, since they did not seek 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 those who 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 who were righteous and practiced virtue, for an unreasonable zeal drove 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 into 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; they clothed themselves with the wool of the sheep, and so, in the appearance of sheep but the nature of wolves, have 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 this honor, but, abusing their power, through instigation or ignorant zeal, laid their hands on the Lord's husbandry, and carelessly plucked up 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 granary.

So there are no servants upon earth wise enough to step into any office of the only wise God, and to carry out the judgment which He has reserved for Himself; for who can fathom man's heart except He who sees all things, and knows all mysteries, who searches the hearts and the 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, burdened with sin, unbelief and perverted views, much more than they are aware of; and all that men know and believe here is only in part. Besides, the examiners of the faith can easily be blinded or deceived by lies and a hypocritical life.

So 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 anyone thinks that it is not fitting for 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 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, should pollute the land with the blood of its inhabitants, such a country would be nothing else than a hell, or a pool full of unrest and oppression, where the minds of men would be in such pitiful misery as ships which on the dreary and turbulent ocean are rocked here and there in the storm by all sorts of winds, until at last they suddenly perish. But how can they so greatly hate and cast out anyone for the faith, even if he should err? This is not the nature of the children of God, who do not oppress even the unrighteous, just as it is not the nature of the sheep to devour the wolves, but to flee from them, and to suffer being devoured.

And why will they force anyone to the faith, which only God can give to man? He who errs, errs for himself; if he falls, he falls to his own Lord, who can and will lift him up again, for He calls and invites everyone to it, offering him water and fire, life and death; each may choose what he will. And this choosing, seeking or finding of a faith for 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 Himself all who are burdened and heavy laden? So no one may think that such a calling concerns only the rulers, and that it is enough for the subjects to look to them and follow them. Oh, no! Each one will have to give an account for himself; for at the last judgment everyone's heart, whatever his rank or title, will be searched just as closely; each will receive reward according to his own works; and it will not concern only the princes or the shepherds. No one there will be responsible for another, but every one will find his own burden heavy enough to carry. However, no one need be surprised, as though some new or strange thing had 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 will 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 enraged at Him? And why were they so exceedingly eager to follow the advice of thoughtless Caiaphas? And was not the cause of all this the fact that mad ignorance drove them on? It so often 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 to 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 (such 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, in 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 so we see that God, who does all things according to His good pleasure, at some times and places still grants such authorities as 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 it agreed with the common belief, but only 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.

In this 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, also do not consent to such blind zeal in the way of constraint of conscience and investigation of faith. And since we are commanded to pray to 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 as oppose the wicked zeal of these bloodthirsty tyrants of conscience (as we have now enjoyed it in this country for about fifty years), and who according to their ability carry out their offices, leaving the dominion and investigation of man's heart and conscience to God.