PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians
Braght, Thieleman J. van (Thieleman Janszoon) · 1,152,781 words · 1675 reading sections
Article Xii.
How Christ Jesus will pronounce the last judgment upon the obedience of the Gospel, read: “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that…
752 wordsSECTION 542Article Xii.
For, as true faith consists in hearing, believing and accepting the good things which God offers us through his word; and, again, as unbelief consists in despising and rejecting those things; and since infants have neither knowledge, ability, inclination, nor emotion concerning any of these things, as all intelligent p…
678 wordsSECTION 543Article Xiii.
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children.” 1 Corinthians 14:20; Eph. 4:14; Matt. 18:2; 19:13; Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15. _Of regeneration and the new creature_, we confess: Inasmuch as our first parents, Adam and Eve, through their transgression, separated themselves from God, and fel…
666 wordsSECTION 544Article Xiii.
On the other hand, the assertion of those who ascribe regeneration to new-born infants, and say that without this they cannot be saved, is rejected as a grave error. Some of these found regeneration upon infant baptism, maintaining that as soon as they have their children baptized, they are also, through this ceremony …
669 wordsSECTION 545Article Xiii.
To all who have served sin, and have not been regenerated, the kingdom of God is denied. Concerning this, read: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born …
264 wordsSECTION 546Article Xiv.
_Of the incarnation of the eternal and only begotten Son of God._ We confess: That the exalted and true God faithfully kept and fulfilled his exceeding great and precious promises, which he had made in the beginning concerning his Son, who had been foreordained to this end before the foundation of the world, but in the…
795 wordsSECTION 547Article Xiv.
And, as the food which the Israelites ate in the wilderness, is called, bread from heaven or heavenly bread, because the substance of the bread was no fruit of this earth, but had come from heaven, though the same, was in this world, prepared in the form of bread; so also Christ himself calls his flesh the true bread w…
665 wordsSECTION 548Article Xiv.
The angel of God said unto Mary: “Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of …
650 wordsSECTION 549Article Xv.
Jesus said to the blind man: “Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? and Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him.” John 9:35–38. “Thomas answered and said unto…
817 wordsSECTION 550Article Xv.
Herein we are to know the love and goodness, and also the severity of God, and how greatly the Almighty God hates sin;--his severity and justice, from the fact, that through the one sin of the first man, the whole human race became corrupted; and that this could be paid and atoned for by no other means than through the…
657 wordsSECTION 551Article Xv.
“And after the apostle Thomas had confessed the visible and palpable man Jesus as his Lord and God, Christ did not reprehend him for it, but accepted it as the belief of the truth, saying: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:29; 17…
534 wordsSECTION 552Article Xvi.
_Of the life, suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and of his again receiving his glory with his Father._ Of this we confess: That the Lord Jesus, in the time of his humiliation in the flesh, being about thirty-three years, did not only with words, but also by works and deeds, set us a…
720 wordsSECTION 553Article Xvi.
Thus the only begotten Son of God suffered, was crucified and put to death according to the flesh; but thereby was again glorified and made alive according to the spirit, and again fully received his previous divine glory, and his equality with the Father. He will now die no more, neither will death have any more domin…
534 wordsSECTION 554Article Xvii.
_Of the office of Christ, and the specific reason of his coming into the world._ We confess: That Christ is the true promised Prophet, High Priest, and King, whom Moses and all the prophets foretold and proclaimed, and to whom the former priests and kings pointed as figures and shadows. And the specific reason of his c…
679 wordsSECTION 555Article Xvii.
Of his prophecies, read: Matt. 24 throughout; Luke 17:20; 19:41–44. Of his priestly office, read: “And having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” etc. Hebrews 10:21,22. “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the l…
345 wordsSECTION 556Article Xviii.
_Of the church of God and the communion of believers._ Concerning this we believe and confess: Whereas men by reason of the natural birth of the flesh, follow sin and wickedness when they attain to their understanding, and thereby depart from God their Creator; therefore the high and holy God, before whom the sinners a…
669 wordsSECTION 557Article Xviii.
This church of God, that is, all believers, are, as members of one body, joined together by faith and the bond of love; they are like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; they live according to the same rule of the divine word, and are bound together by the same love, thus having fellowship with one ano…
470 wordsSECTION 558Article Xix.
_Of the signs of the church of God, by which it may be distinguished from all other peoples_, we confess the following: In the first place, all true Christians are known by the only saving faith, which works by love. It is wrought, through the grace of God, in the heart of man by the hearing of the word of God, and hen…
863 wordsSECTION 559Article Xix.
Where, therefore, men believe with the heart, in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and in the incarnation, justification or redemption, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment; and where, besides, the ordinances of the Lord, as bapt…
658 wordsSECTION 560Article Xix.
“As I said unto you, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:26,27,5. “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:20; 2 Thess. 2:15; John 8:31; 14:21;…
339 wordsSECTION 561Article Xx.
_Of the ordinances of the church of God, and the sending and electing of ministers._ Of this we confessed: That, as a house, city, or country cannot subsist unless it have laws and ordinances by which to be governed and upheld, and as no human body can subsist without the members performing the service appointed by God…
729 wordsSECTION 562Article Xx.
In like manner, the church shall, by the voice of the church, elect deacons over the poor, and, after they have been examined in the faith, and found to be sound, cause them to be confirmed by the imposition of the hands of the elders, as helpers and governors, that willing givers may give their contributions to them, …
663 wordsSECTION 563Article Xxi.
“The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Tim. 2:2. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being …
686 wordsSECTION 564Article Xxi.
Since, then, Christian baptism is of such a nature that it was ordained and commanded by Christ only upon faith, repentance, and reformation, and was practiced and taught by his high apostles in this, and in no other wise; therefore we herewith reject, with good reason, the baptism of unintelligent, speechless infants,…
717 wordsSECTION 565Article Xxi.
But all Christians are commanded and in duty bound to walk before their children with a good example, and to bring them up in the fear of the Lord, by good teachings and instructions, without using on them baptism, the Supper, or any other ceremonies; since it is known that it is impossible for any one to unite another…
664 wordsSECTION 566Article Xxii.
“And the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip an…
893 wordsSECTION 567Article Xxii.
Hence, believers are to use this worthy institution of Christ among each other, and thereby, through an ordained blameless minister, proclaim with great reverence the bitter suffering and death of the Lord. And after God has been thanked with an humble heart, for his boundless grace and mercy, and been called upon by …
675 wordsSECTION 568Article Xxiii.
_Of the feet-washing of believers_ we confess: After our Leader Christ Jesus had celebrated the Supper with his apostles, he, before his suffering, used another ordinance with them, and commanded that they should observe it with each other. He rose from supper, girded himself with a linen towel, poured water into a bas…
403 wordsSECTION 569Article Xxiv.
_Of good works._ Of good works we believe and confess: That for every true Christian it is not enough, in every respect according to the Scriptures, to confess the faith aright with the mouth, and to regard Christ Jesus as our only Head, Redeemer, and Savior, but that above this we must necessarily manifest from our fa…
905 wordsSECTION 570Article Xxiv.
Of the deadly works of darkness, which separate men from God, and which we must put off and lay aside by faith, read: “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man,” etc. Col. 3:9,10. Read further concerning the twenty-three sins which are worthy of eternal death. Rom. 1:29–31. …
403 wordsSECTION 571Article Xxv.
_Of marriage._ Of marriage we confess: That the same is honorable and an ordinance of God, who in the beginning instituted this state with the two human beings first created in the image of God, blessed it, and joined them together. And since this divine ordinance, through the hardness of the heart and the evil wantonn…
665 wordsSECTION 572Article Xxvi.
“Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:2. “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 7:39; Gen. 1:27; 24:4; Exodu…
587 wordsSECTION 573Article Xxvii.
_Of the office of magistracy_, and secular power, we confess: That the office of magistracy is an ordinance and institution of God who himself willed and ordained that such a power should be over every country in order that thereby countries and cities might, through good policy and laws, for the punishment of the evil…
816 wordsSECTION 574Article Xxvii.
How government is of God, and for what purpose it is instituted, read: “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works…
665 wordsSECTION 575Article Xxviii.
_Of the discipline of the Christian Church and separation of offending members._ Of this we confess: That, as a house or city cannot be maintained without doors, gates and walls by which evil men may be expelled, excluded and debarred, and the good and pious be taken in and protected; so Christ, for the preservation of…
747 wordsSECTION 576Article Xxviii.
And since with God there is no respect of persons, therefore the church of God shall use this key of the word of God aright, and, in punishing, spare no one, whether he be minister or brother, man or woman, but shall judge the small as well as the great after one rule and measure of the divine word, according to the tr…
589 wordsSECTION 577Article Xxix.
_Of the withdrawing from and avoiding of apostate and separated members_, is confessed: As separation is commanded by God for the reformation of sinners, and the maintenance of the purity of the church; so God has also commanded and willed, that in order to shame him to reformation, the separated individual shall be sh…
726 wordsSECTION 578Article Xxix.
This custom Christ also observed, and commanded that the disobedient in the church should be so regarded, saying: “If he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.” Matt. 18:17. This the apostles also practiced in like manner, according to the doctrine of Christ. Read: “I wrote u…
385 wordsSECTION 579Article Xxx.
_Of the last day and the second coming of Christ from heaven_, we confess: That the great God of heaven, who in the beginning created heaven and earth with all visible things out of nothing, also appointed a day and time, which cannot be known by the angels of God in heaven; much less by mortal men, but which shall une…
614 wordsSECTION 580Article Xxxi.
_Of the Death of the body and the Resurrection of the dead_, we confess: That, in the beginning, man was created immortal, but that through the envy of the devil and the sin of our first parents, death came into the world. And, as through the sin of Adam all men became sinful in him, so also through him, all men became…
704 wordsSECTION 581Article Xxxi.
Of the first or temporal death, which came by the first transgression, read: “For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen. 3:19; 25:33. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Heb. 9:27. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” 1 Co…
371 wordsSECTION 582Article Xxxii.
_Of the last judgment; of hell, and the damnation of unbelievers_, we confess: That in the last day, when Christ Jesus shall appear in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, all nations shall be gathered before his judgment seat, and he shall separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, pl…
675 wordsSECTION 583Article Xxxii.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. Matt. 25:31,32; 16:27; 26:64; 2 Thess. 1:7. Of hell…
463 wordsSECTION 584Article Xxxiii.
_Of the kingdom of heaven and eternal life_, we confess: That as there is a visible, perishable kingdom of this, which, through the sins and wickedness of men, lies in darkness; of which darkness, Satan, the spirit of wickedness, who works in the children of unbelief, is the supreme prince, who at last, with all his se…
695 wordsSECTION 585Article Xxxiii.
Of the everlasting kingdom of heaven, and its King, read: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace.” Hebrews 12:28. “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not f…
529 wordsSECTION 586Summary Of The Martyrs In The Sixteenth Century.
[Mention of the inquisition which from the year 1492 continued to 1660. It is noticed for the year 1501. Persecution of the orthodox Christians in Hungary briefly, and plainly shown, for the year 1507. Two years after this, there is brought to remembrance another persecution of the same people, in the principality of…
546 wordsSECTION 587Persecution Of The Orthodox Believers In Hungary, A. D. 1507.
The inquisition of which we gave an account in the first book, for the year 1492, continued against the orthodox believers, as is firmly believed, even until this time; so that many who were subjected to the same, and remained steadfast, had to suffer themselves to be put to death; who, in the sight of God, came to an …
654 wordsSECTION 588Persecution Of The Orthodox Believers In Hungary, A. D. 1507.
_A. D. 1513._--William Budaeus, a very learned man in France, wrote at this time in a book: 1. The popes and bishops originate war between princes and potentates; while they by rights ought to advise and help to peace. 2. They fill the world with pride, avarice, gluttony, drinking, lasciviousness, whoredom, adultery, a…
672 wordsSECTION 589Persecution Of The Orthodox Believers In Hungary, A. D. 1507.
[224] In the following a few words are changed, without altering the sense, however. By virtue of this decree all who believed otherwise than the Roman church, or who had such books in their possession, or harbored such heretics or people, and all those whom the magistrates were commanded to apprehend, were strictly …
629 wordsSECTION 590Old Book.
ENLARGED AND IMPROVED FROM VARIOUS CREDIBLE CHRONICLES, MEMOIRS, TESTIMONIES, ETC. [The following Part of the Martyrs Mirror, was not originally written by van Braght, but was the outgrowth of a compilation from different authors, and published in different editions, which from time to time were enlarged and improv…
481 wordsSECTION 591Prayer Of Hans Koch And Leonhard Meister.
The following earnest prayer to God was spoken by Hans Koch and Leonhard Meister before their death, and left for the consolation of all their fellow believers: O God! behold now from thy high throne the misery of thy servants, how the enemy persecutes them because it is their purpose to walk in the narrow way, and ho…
698 wordsSECTION 592Caspar Tauber, A. D. 1524.
Matt. 7:14; Ps. 106:6; Dan. 9:5; 1 Pet. 2:24; Matt. 22:37; 1 Pet. 4:3; Matt. 7:13; John 17:14; 1 Pet. 4:1; Isa. 53; Matt. 27; Luke 24:26; John 15:18; 1 John 3:13; Matt. 5:12; Rom. 8:11; 2 Tim. 2:12; John 10:5. In this year, also Caspar Tauber, a tradesman and citizen of Vienna, in Austria, was apprehended for the Chri…
515 wordsSECTION 593Felix Mantz, A. D. 1526.
Felix Mantz was also an originator of the Reformation of the faith, in Germany, and when he, with great zeal, practiced, taught, and preached, the recognized truth of the Gospel, he was envied, accused, and imprisoned by his adversaries, and finally drowned at Zuerich, for the evangelical truth, thus becoming a witness…
756 wordsSECTION 594George Wagner A. D. 1527.
With this I will finish my discourse, desiring that all the pious be mindful of the fall of Adam, who when he accepted the advice of the serpent, and became disobedient to God, the punishment of death came upon him. Thus it shall also happen to those who do not accept Christ, but resist him, love this world, and have n…
613 wordsSECTION 595Michael Sattler, A. D. 1527.
This Melchior Vet. was a companion of George Blaurock, who was of the same faith with him, and also served with him in the Gospel. He was burned in the time of Michael Sattler, at Drache, for the testimony of the faith and of the divine truth, which he boldly confessed. After a long trial on the day of his departure f…
298 wordsSECTION 596Articles Or Charges Against Michael Sattler.
First, That he and his adherents have acted contrary to the mandate of the Emperor. Secondly, He has taught, held and believed that the body and blood of Christ are not present in the sacrament. Thirdly, He has taught and believed that infant baptism does not conduce to salvation. Fourthly, They have rejected the sa…
689 wordsSECTION 597Articles Or Charges Against Michael Sattler.
“Sixthly, We hold, that we are not to swear before the authorities: For the Lord says: Swear not; but let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay. Matt. 5:34; James 5:12. “Seventhly, When God called me to testify of his word, and I had read Paul, and also considered the unchristian and perilous state in which I was;…
652 wordsSECTION 598Articles Or Charges Against Michael Sattler.
He replied: “Ye ministers of God, I am not sent to judge the word of God; we are sent to bear witness of it, and, hence, cannot consent to any law, since we have no command from God concerning it; but if we can not be discharged from the law, we are ready to suffer for the word of God whatever sufferings are, or may be…
714 wordsSECTION 599Articles Or Charges Against Michael Sattler.
Remember the Lord, who has given you the talent, for he shall require it again with usury. That the one talent may not be taken from you, put it to usury, according to the command of the Lord, who has given you the talent. Matt. 15:19. I say to you through the grace of God, that ye be valiant, and walk as become the s…
710 wordsSECTION 600Articles Or Charges Against Michael Sattler.
Furthermore, dear fellow members in Christ, be admonished that you forget not charity, without which it is not possible for you to be a Christian flock. You know what charity is, from the testimony of Paul our fellow brother, who says: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itse…
723 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.