Fifth Extract from the Same, Obersultzem

A man has arrived in the region above Heidelberg, a minister in the North, who has twelve children, most of them very young, but who has brought with him, as I understand, only four rixdollars in money, and a very poor horse. Some others have brought some money with them, but many nothing at all, so that after close examination there were found, among two hundred and eighty-two people, one thousand and forty-six rixdollars. And in the Alzey Bailiwick, among two hundred and fifteen people, six hundred and eight rixdollars. In the Darmstein Bailiwick there were found one hundred and forty-four people; but as to what their means are, I have not learned; from appearances, however, I judge them to be the poorest of all. In short, we find that their number consists of about eighty full families, and then further, widows, single persons, and husbands and wives who had to forsake their companions, because these, being attached to the Reformed religion, could not make up their minds to leave; in all, six hundred and forty-one people, whose funds amount to no more than the little sum already stated; so that you can easily calculate that considerable assistance will be necessary. Besides these, we understand, there are about one hundred more people staying in Alsace, whom we also expect by the early part of the year. Farewell. Thus far the extracts from the letters.

Afterward the brotherhoods living in the provinces of the United Netherlands, in March of the same year, 1672, sent some from their midst to the Palatinate. They traveled everywhere to the persecuted brothers and sisters, and hearing and seeing them, they not only found what is related above to be true, but also that some of those last mentioned had already come over from Alsace, who, bringing no funds with them, like the others, were, together with these, aided and comforted by the common assistance of the wealthy churches or brotherhoods of the United Provinces.

Moreover, they learned from some of the forty prisoners themselves that they had all been released, and, according to the request of the gentleman mentioned above, had been brought to Basle, and there turned over to their brothers and sisters, with whom they then moved away together. But when the chief ones among them were asked why they had not left sooner and sought out places where they might have lived with more freedom according to their conscience, seeing that the authorities had not prevented their leaving, they gave various reasons for it, of which the following were not the least:

1. They said that they saw that the churches greatly grew and increased, so that, though under the cross, they nevertheless flourished as a rose among thorns, and that further increase could be expected daily, because many people were coming forward who saw the light shine out of darkness, and began to love it and to seek after it; that the ministers, considering this in their hearts, were reluctant to leave the country, fearing that this promising harvest might be lost, and that many would then fall back from their good purpose; and so they chose rather to suffer a little than to leave, in order that they might yet rescue some souls from perdition, and bring them to Christ.

2. A second reason was that they could not so easily leave for other countries, because there are among them many divided families, in which the husband or the wife is in the church while the other still attended the public church; and in that case, if the latter would not follow their persecuted companion, and also forsake everything and leave the country, it caused great trouble and sorrow; that there were even various ministers who were not exempt from this difficulty, and there were also two ministers there in the Palatinate who had wives that were not in the church, and whom they (having been secretly warned by a good friend) had also had to leave by night, and take to flight, without knowing as yet whether their wives would follow them, or whether they, loving their property more than their husbands, would stay there in the land, and forsake their husbands. That such cases caused the more sorrow and difficulty, because the authorities granted liberty to those who remained, whether women or men, to marry again and seek other companions. These and other reasons had kept them from leaving their earthly fatherland uncompelled; they led them rather (as they had now done) to wait until they should see that they could no longer stay there and keep a good conscience.

Truly, it is to be lamented that at this time, when the light of the Gospel has shone so long upon the Protestants, there are nevertheless still found among them those who think it good to persecute people who in every respect are good and pious subjects, and differ from them only in certain points concerning the Christian religion. Oh, how little such conduct regards the teaching of our Savior, to do to others as we would have them do to us. And yet such people complain of the persecution that is inflicted in France, Hungary, and elsewhere upon their brotherhoods. But what do you think? Might they not with justice be answered in the same way in which the Apostle Paul answered the Jews, Romans 11, verse 21,* and so on? Certainly, very justly. [n1269-1]

We conclude this account with this earnest prayer, namely, that God the Lord would be pleased so to direct the hearts of those who are in authority, that we may under their reign and rule lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all godliness and honesty. And if it should be that the great God might think it good to permit the persecution of His believers here or there, that He might then be pleased to abide with them with His fatherly care and comfort, and through grace grant that their afflictions may be accompanied with patience, their faith with steadfastness, and their virtues with faithfulness; all to the honor of His name, which can never be praised enough, and to the salvation of their souls, through Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.