Hans Vermeersch, Also Called Hans van Maes, in the Year 1559

Confession of Hans Vermeersch, written by him while imprisoned at Waesten in Flanders

In October, in the year 1559, I was brought before the inquisitor to confess my faith before him. He demanded to know my age, my name, and where I had been; he then asked me whether I had been rebaptized. I said: "I know only one baptism, as is written in Ephesians (chapter 4, verse 5); which is the baptism of believers, as is stated by Matthew and Mark in their gospels. And also as Peter said (Acts 2, verses 38 and 41) to the people who heard it: 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized.' Note, in the same chapter, and read with attention: 'They broke bread; fear came upon them; they were all of one soul, and had all things common;' all of which an infant cannot do. Verses 42 and 43; and chapter 4, verse 32." He then asked me why I believed that the Gospel was true. I replied: "Because every word is established in the mouth of two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 17, verse 6; Matthew 18, verse 16. Now there are four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who all together testify and speak of one Christ and Messiah, who is the Son of God, and God is His Father. That there is a God is also clearly seen from the creation of the world, and the signs and wonders which we daily behold, such as causing corn, grass, apples, cherries, nuts, and so on, to grow, as may be seen. That the Gospel is true may further be seen from this: I have read that Christ says: 'Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name's sake.' Matthew 5, verse 11. Christ also says: 'You shall be hated by all men for my name's sake,' Chapter 10, verse 22. When I read this, I believed it, and now I find it to be true in me and in others, and I believe that the Gospel is true. Now everyone may know, see and understand that it is as Paul says: 'All who will live godly shall suffer persecution.' Second Timothy 3, verse 12. Therefore I say: By all these witnesses, who cannot lie, we may boldly say that the Gospel is true; let everyone take good heed." With this they tormented me greatly.

They then asked me concerning the Roman church, whether I did not believe that it was the true church, which is built upon the rock which is Christ. I said: "No." Then he asked me which church I believed to be the true church. I replied

"The congregation of believers in the name of Christ, as Christ said to Peter: 'You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church' (Matthew 16, verse 18); that is to say: those who have such a faith as Peter had, as can easily be seen in the second epistle to the Corinthians (chapter 6, verse 16), where Paul says: 'What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will be their God, and they shall be my people?' Thus, all believers who assemble in Christ's name are the true church."

They also asked me whether the sacrament used by the church in the mass is not flesh and blood after the consecration by the priest; whether it is not the body of Christ in flesh and blood. I replied: "How should this be possible? For it is written in Acts (chapter 1, verse 9) that He ascended to heaven; and in the seventh chapter (verse 56) Stephen says: 'I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.' And Peter, in his first epistle, third chapter, says that He is risen, and gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; therefore He is not here." He then asked me whether He was not able to be here by His divine power. I said: "He can do nothing contrary to His word; He is Almighty, I know; but He does not act contrary to His word." They further said that when He held His supper with His disciples, He gave them His body as is written in the text, since He said: "Take, eat, this is my body." Matthew 26, verse 26. But I replied that He did not give His body, but a morsel of bread; for it is obvious that it [the body] was immediately delivered into the hands of the Jews, and suffered, and was hung on the cross; therefore He certainly could not give His body to eat, as He Himself says: "I will not from now on drink of this fruit of the vine;" namely, the wine which He had before called His blood. Read the tenth and eleventh chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians, where you can obtain a fuller understanding. Therefore He did not give His apostles His body; but it represented His body. He then asked me what I thought of the service performed in the church. I said I regarded it as a great and abominable idolatry. Thereupon he said: "Then you consider her the whore of Babylon?" I replied "Yes; as is written in Revelation 13, verse 4, of the beast that caused himself to be worshiped; therefore as many as would not worship him, or receive the mark in their hand or in their foreheads, and so on, who opposes himself against God in His elect." He then told me that we could not show that our church, namely, that of the Anabaptists (as they called it), had been in existence forty years ago; and that their church had continued, and so on. I replied: "We do not keep a register for our church, as the Roman church does; she would soon be discovered; for everyone seeks to destroy or kill her, and she does not have (as the Roman church has) the emperor or the king for her helper, but emperor, king or prince diligently seek to destroy her. But I will show you that she is fifteen hundred and fifty-nine years old. For Christ is the foundation stone, and it is that long since He was crucified." They answered: "Yes, the Roman church; for she was instituted by Peter; he was the first; after him all the holy popes, and all the holy doctors [teachers], such as Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose and Bernard, who are the four doctors of the holy church. Will you not believe these, who were such learned men?" I said: "I believe only the Word of God."

They also asked me whether I did not believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost; three persons, and one true God. I said

"I find only one person in the Scriptures." They asked me who it was. I said: "Christ, who was seen and heard; but the Father no one has ever seen. Who then can say what person it is? For He is invisible. John 9, verse 37; chapter 1, verse 18. Neither has anyone ever seen the Holy Ghost. True, He has been seen to descend as a dove upon Christ, but a dove cannot be a person." Then they said: "You do not believe that there are three persons?" I replied: "No, unless it is shown to me by the Scriptures; but I confess that they are three in essence, yet only one true God. The Father is not the Son, nor the Son the Holy Ghost. The Father I confess as the Father; Jesus Christ as His Son, who proceeded from Him; and the Holy Ghost, as proceeding from both the Father and the Son; yet, inseparably one true God." John 17, verse 8; chapter 15, verse 26.

He then asked me whether Christ did not assume His flesh and blood from Mary. I replied "This will have to be shown to me." They said "He is of the seed of David." I said: "That He assumed His flesh and blood from Mary, this the Scriptures do not say. Read Luke, first chapter, where the angel said: 'You shall conceive in your womb;' and, further on, when Mary said: 'How shall this be, since I do not know a man? The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.' Consider these words; he says: 'that holy thing.' And Paul says that the first Adam is of the earth, earthy; but the second is the Lord from heaven. Read in the first epistle to the Corinthians, in the fifteenth chapter (verse 47), where you can see it clearly. Also, Hebrews 10, verse 5, where Paul says: 'Therefore, when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice and offering you would not have, but a body you have prepared for me.' Again, John 16, verse 28, where Christ says that He came forth from the Father, and came into the world; and many other places, such as in chapters eight and nine. Examine the Scriptures, John's Gospel, and the epistles." He then asked me whether He took no substance from Mary, in the way of nursing, and so on. I replied that she offered Him up; when He had been brought forth she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger. We further find that she cared for Him; as when at the age of twelve years He was lost, they sought Him, when they returned from Jerusalem. It says that they sought Him diligently, and sorrowing (Luke 2, verse 48). He then asked whether she did not nurse Him. Answer. "Christ spoke (when the woman said: 'Blessed are the breasts which you have sucked'): Yes, woman, blessed is he who hears my word, and keeps it." Luke 11, verses 27 and 28. Question. "What do you think? Tell us your opinion." Answer. "I must not speak of that concerning which the Scriptures give me no information; suppositions are of no value." He also asked me whether Christ was not of the seed of David. I said: "How should He be of the seed of David? For Christ said Himself (when the Pharisees asked whose Son He was, whether He was not the Son of David): 'How then does David call him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool? If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?'" Matthew 22, verses 42 and 45. They did not know what to say. I then said: "I know that He is born out of the seed of David, but not of the seed of David." Romans 1, verse 3.* They replied [n828-1]

"In Galatians 4, verse 4 it is written that He was made of a woman." I said: "It is preposterous that a woman should make a child. Do not all the other Scriptures say: 'Born of a woman'?" He said: "I could show in forty places that He is of the seed of David." But he would not show it. I then said

"If she conceived Him of the Holy Ghost, He cannot be of the seed of David."

He also asked me where men go when they leave this world. I replied: "They fall asleep in the Lord, as the Scriptures testify, namely, the believers." Acts 7, verse 60. He asked where the souls went. I replied: "Paul said that he was willing to fall asleep according to the flesh, and to be present with the Lord; and I am of the same mind." Second Corinthians 5, verse 8. He then asked where the other souls went. Answer. "The Scriptures say nothing about it; neither can I say where they go." Question. "What do you think about it? They go somewhere." Answer. "I leave this to Divine Providence."

He then asked what I thought of the resurrection of the dead. I replied: "As is written in First Corinthians 15, verse 53, where Paul says that this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruptible, incorruption, and that this same body shall rise." He was unable to reply to this. He then asked me where children went who died without baptism. I said: "Where it pleases God." He asked whether they were saved. Answer. "Christ blessed the children, and said: 'Of such is the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 19, verse 14. Question. "Then you say that they are saved?" Answer. "If they have the kingdom of heaven, they are happy enough." Question. "Behold, they are damned; this is clear." Answer. "Read Romans 5, verses 17 to 19, where it says that as by one man's disobedience death comes, so by the obedience of one, life comes upon all men." He further asked me whether I would not be obedient to the magistracy. Answer. "Yes, my lords, so far as it is not contrary to the command of God; for Peter says we ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5, verse 29. He then asked me whether I would not swear before the lords. Answer. "No." Question. "We must obey the magistracy; Paul and Peter teach this." Answer. "Christ says: 'Do not swear at all; neither by your head, and so on; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; for whatever is more than these comes of evil.'" Matthew 5, verse 34; James 5, verse 12. Also Second Corinthians 1, verse 17. He then asked me whether we were not bound to tell the truth. Answer. "Yes." Question. "Tell me who your accomplices are." Answer. "To accuse our neighbor is not the truth; Christ does not teach that." He then adjured me by Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, that I should tell him. I said: "I do not care for your adjuring; it is sorcery." Then he said that we were bound to act contrary to the command of God, on account of the adjuration.

They greatly tormented me with those who brought the man who was sick with the palsy; they said that his sins were forgiven through the faith of those who brought him; and that so it was, through the faith of father and mother, with infants, in baptism. But he does not say: through the faith of those who brought him; it simply says: seeing their faith. Matthew 9, verse 2; Mark 2, verse 5.

I have written this much out of love; if I have not written you truly, bear with me; but I think I have written according to the Scriptures; receive it kindly. Farewell. I must affectionately greet the friends everywhere, requesting that they pray for me. Know that I am of good cheer, the Lord be praised. The grace of the Lord be with you all. Amen.