Martyrs Mirror 1209ANSWER TO THE LETTER OF JOHN FOX; WRITTEN BY THE PRISONERS AT LONDON, A. D. 1575

Reverend and well beloved Sir Doctor Fox: We have read your letter, from which we learn the endeavors you have put forth in our behalf, with her royal majesty as well as with her wise council, for which we greatly thank you, even as we also do for your good admonition, which notwithstanding it seems to us to be written somewhat severely, we are nevertheless assured proceeds from love and from a good zeal which you have for the truth and the welfare of your neighbor; hence we cannot but give it a good interpretation. However, we are very sorry that you, not better understanding our point, have an opinion of us different from what we would like; since you think that through our singularity and obstinacy we not only give offense to the church of God, but also greatly offend God, and overthrow our salvation.

What cause you have thus to think of us, we do not know; however, we can assure you of this, that we seek with all our heart to serve the only God and Christ in a good conscience, and to edify our neighbor as far as is possible to us.

Hence we willingly accept whatever the holy Scriptures declare to us, and wish that we would be left to adhere to the simplicity of the Word of God, and not with subtle questions to be driven further, than we with our feeble understanding can comprehend or answer with the Scriptures. We confess (even as you say) that Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, when the time was fulfilled, was born of woman and became truly man.

We confess that the flesh of Christ is not a fantasm or ethereal, but true, human flesh, like unto us in all things, except sin; that He is the promised seed of the woman, David's son, and the fruit of Mary's body. Finally, we believe all that the holy Scriptures further testify of Him; and whether we live or die, we do not place our salvation in our works or holiness, but solely in His death and resurrection. Hence we cannot wonder enough, what more could be required of a Christian, since you yourself quote from the apostle: "Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." II Cor. 5:16 , 17 .

By this the apostle sufficiently indicates to us that we ought rather to observe and appropriate to ourselves the fruits of the incarnation and the sufferings of Christ, than arrogantly to dispute about the origin of His flesh; which we yet confess as far as the Scriptures tell us concerning it; contenting ourselves with what you request of us, that He is come in the flesh. If people only were satisfied therewith, and would not compel us to confess that Christ has His origin from the substance of Mary's flesh; which because we cannot comprehend or believe, for the reason that the word substance is not mentioned in the holy Scriptures, and, therefore it is concluded against us, that we believe that Christ is not true man, and in short, that we deny our salvation; whereas, on the contrary, according to the dictates of love, it ought to be concluded that, when we say that Christ had just as true, human flesh as our first father Adam had before the fall, we at once confess Him to be true man and our Saviour, especially when we confess this with express words. If you reply to this, that you find little or no difference between your faith and ours, except in the expression, substance o f the woman, and that we ought not therefore obstinately to reject the same, we rejoin, on the other hand, that we ought not to be constrained thereto by force, but that our weakness in this respect ought to be borne with, since we cannot believe otherwise in our conscience, and should greatly sin against God, if we were to speak contrary to the testimony of our conscience.

Hence, if we are put to death (which we do not hope of her royal grace) we testify before God, that we do not die for this or that article (which if we could, with arguments, be made to believe, we would accept with all our heart), but for our conscience' sake, to which if we act contrary, though we did well, we nevertheless do ill, and witness against ourselves, as you with your learning can understand far better than we simple and unlearned people.

Finally, we are men, and what is more, unlearned men, who are liable to err; and hence we will always show ourselves teachable to all those who can show us something better with the Scriptures; but that they want to constrain us thereto with fire or sword, this appears to us a vain undertaking, and to militate against reason; for it is indeed possible, that through fear of death we could be made to speak differently from what we understand; but that we should understand otherwise than we believe, you know to be impossible.

Therefore those who should deal with us on this wise, offer us this alternative, either temporal or eternal death; temporal, if we adhere to what our conscience declares to be right, or the truth; eternal, if we act and speak contrary to our conscience. But we have a better hope of her royal grace, which has hitherto not deemed it well to put [any one] to death for the matter of religion; well knowing that the true faith is a special gift of God, implanted in man, not by fire and sword, but through the Holy Ghost and the preaching of the eternal word of God. And we ought to consider well, that formerly we were all heretics here, who if we had been made to die in such a condition, would all have had to suffer the death of both body and soul. But we will here conclude this matter, thanking you for the trouble to which you have been pleased to go for us, and requesting you that you will do the best in our cause, with the council, and especially before her royal majesty, who, if our point were well known to her, we doubt not, would, according to her excellent wisdom and usual grace, deal mercifully with us, since we willingly show her majesty all reverence and subjection, praying for her long life and prosperous reign. Amen.

Subscribed to by:

GERRIT VAN BYLER,

HENDRICK TERWOORT, HANS VAN STRATEN,