Jacques Dosie at Leeuwaerden

At a certain time, which we have not been able to determine exactly, a boy named Jacques Dosie was imprisoned at Leeuwaerden, in Friesland, for the truth of the holy Gospel. It is said that he was only about fifteen years of age; but the wonder-working God, by the holy Spirit, showed His power through this little one, and perfected His praise out of the mouth of this young child. Matthew 21, verse 16; Psalm 8, verse 2. For on a certain occasion, when the lord and lady of Friesland, with many nobles and ladies, were assembled at Leeuwaerden, they summoned Jacques before them, talked with him, and examined him, whether he was tainted with any heresy. But the faithful God, according to His promise (Luke 21, verse 14; Matthew 10, verse 19; Mark 13, verse 11; Luke 12, verse 11), gave him a mouth and wisdom which they could in no way resist or silence.

So it came about that after a few words the lord of Friesland went on his way, because the people were waiting for him; but the lady of Friesland, moved to compassion, it seems, talked with him, asking him why he, who was still so young, was so severely imprisoned and bound.

Jacques answered: "This was done only because I believe in Christ, hold to Him alone, and will in no way forsake Him."

The lady asked him: "Do you not belong to the people who rebaptize themselves, commit so much evil in our country, stir up rebellion, run together, and say that they are scattered because of the faith, and boast of being the church of God, although they are a wicked crowd, and cause great commotion among the people?"

Jacques. "My lady, I do not know any rebellious people, nor am I one of their number; but we would much rather, according to the teachings of the Scriptures, help our enemies too, satisfy them with food and drink if they hunger and thirst, and resist them in no way with revenge or violence." Romans 12, verses 20 and 17; Matthew 5, verse 39.

Another said: "It would be seen, if you only had the power."

Jacques replied: "Oh, no, my lady, believe me; if it were permitted among us to resist evil with the carnal sword, know that no seven men would have brought me here, and I would have kept out of your hands, for there would have been power to do it."

Lady. "I know there are such sects, who are very wicked and kill people, and also have their goods and their wives in common."

Jacques. "Oh, no, my lady, we are quite unjustly charged with these wicked things, and in this way occasion is sought to persecute us; but we must suffer and endure all this with patience." Matthew 5, verse 11; Acts 21, verse 38; Second Timothy 2, verse 3.

Lady. "Was it not your people who with great dishonor took up arms against the government at Amsterdam and Muenster?"

Jacques. "Oh, no, my lady; for those people erred greatly; but we regard it as a doctrine of the devil to try to resist the authorities with the outward sword and with violence, and we would much rather suffer persecution and death from them, together with everything that is inflicted on us." Romans 13, verse 1; First Peter 2, verse 13; Titus 3, verse 1.

Lady. "Still, it is charged against you, and those who make an uproar do very wrong; however, I believe what you say about it."

Jacques. "My lady, do we not read much of this kind, how wicked men spoke evil of the apostles themselves, and of the whole band of Christians, and by many wicked things sought to stir up the authorities to vengeance against them, though it was all false?" Acts 28, verse 22; Acts 24, verse 5; Luke 2, verse 34.

Lady. "Do you not believe that all are damned who are not baptized according to your way?"

Jacques. "Oh, no, my lady, for the judgment in this matter belongs to God alone, who will reward everyone according to his works, as is clearly seen in many places in the holy Scriptures. Besides, the water has no power to cleanse us from sin, as Peter says, but is only a sign of all obedience." First Peter 3, verse 21; Matthew 3, verse 15.

Lady. "When you are baptized, tell me, can you still sin?"

Jacques. "Yes, my lady, for this appears very clearly from the words of Paul; since we are still clothed in a weak and sinful body, and sin in many things. Romans 7, verses 14 and 18; Galatians 5, verse 17; James 3, verse 2. But we must constantly crucify it and put it to death, and not practice or carry out the works of the flesh; or the righteousness of God will condemn us to eternal death."

Lady. "In what do you still differ from the inquisitor? Let me hear it once."

Jacques. "My lady, because I will in no way accept his doctrine unless he first clearly proves to me that it agrees in every respect with the Word of God; otherwise he labors in vain; for my faith is founded on the pure Word of God alone. As for the practice of infant baptism, we contradict it with good reason, since it is not a command of God Almighty, but much rather the invention of men, seeing that infants have not the least knowledge or understanding of what is required in baptism or contained in it. But Christ, in His love for such innocent ones, has promised them the kingdom of God through grace, without requiring any of these conditions. Matthew 19, verse 14; Mark 10, verse 14; Matthew 18, verse 3. My lady, I find that popery is infected with many other errors besides this one; for they try to make Christ come into the bread, or that the bread should be changed into His flesh and blood; which we in no way believe, but regard as an exceedingly gross error and absurdity. But we believe that Christ truly ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of His Father. Mark 16, verse 19; Luke 24, verse 51; Acts 1, verse 9. So we do not believe that there is any salvation in their flour, mass, purgatory, or any of their services for the dead, and all such human inventions, of which they have a great number, and none of which are recognized anywhere in the holy Scriptures, but are excluded from them. Galatians 1, verse 14; First Timothy 4, verse 2. But on the contrary, we call on God and seek our salvation in Him, and not in any creature, so that we may not corrupt God's own glory and give it to any of His creatures. Jeremiah 13, verse 16; Joshua 7, verse 19.

When the provincial had come, he began to speak, and said: "Will you not believe in the sacrament, which Christ Himself instituted?"

Jacques. "My lord, Paul says that the bread is broken in remembrance of Him, and that the cup of blessing is the communion of the blood of Christ." First Corinthians 11, verse 24; First Corinthians 10, verse 16. Thus he ended his words.

Lady. "I consider this the worst thing in you, that you will not have the children baptized; for all Germany and every kingdom regards what you do as heresy."

Jacques. "My lady, it is indeed true that we are despised everywhere, and, like the band of the apostles, spoken evil of in all the world; but do not think that such people shall therefore perish at the last day." First Corinthians 4, verse 9; Matthew 5, verse 11; Second Peter 2, verse 2.

Lady. "My dear child, look, I beg you, come over to our side, and repent, and you will get out of this trouble, and I promise to obtain your release."

Jacques. "My lady, I thank you very much for your affection and favor toward me; but I will not change my faith to please mortal man, unless it is proved to me from the Scriptures that I err; for I have given myself entirely to God, to be His friend, and in this I hope to live and die." Galatians 1, verse 10; Philippians 3, verse 8; John 15, verse 14.

Lady. "My son, look at this crowd of people; I have compassion for you, and I beg you, repent of your baptism and do not remain so stubborn; if you, so young a child, should die for this cause, it would be a heavy cross for my heart; so see to it that you are released, and may go home."

Jacques. "My lady, I cannot see that there is any crime at all in my baptism, seeing that in this I have not followed my own way, but the holy institution of our Lord Jesus Christ; if I had been able to find another, better way to the kingdom of God, it would not have happened; for I was inclined with my whole heart to seek the Lord my God." Isaiah 56, verse 6.

Lady. "Should they then all be wrong, so many learned men who have been before you? Do you dare to be as presumptuous as this?"

Jacques. "My lady, in Israel four hundred prophets were against the one Micaiah, who alone spoke the truth, and was kept in prison on bread and water; which King Ahab found out in his distress, but too late." First Kings 22, verse 27; Second Chronicles 18, verse 5.

The lady finally said: "I find many good things in you; but I consider your greatest error to lie in your baptism, which does not seem to me to be of God."

In this way she had him brought before her many times; but since he, young in years yet old in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (Wisdom 4, verse 8; First Corinthians 14, verse 20), had built his foundation on the rock Jesus Christ, he valiantly beat back all the subtle devices of Satan, whether they consisted in many severe threats or in fair promises of the kingdom of this world (Matthew 4, verse 8), with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and since nothing could move him to forsake Christ, he was condemned to death by the rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6, verse 12), and so testified to and confirmed the true faith of the truth with his death and his blood, and through grace obtained the crown of everlasting glory. [n705-1]

About this, see a hymn in the Gulden Harp, beginning: Tot Leeuwaeyden op eenen dagh.