The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Volume 28: 1578, part IIMotley, John Lothrop
History
The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Volume 28: 1578, part II
Motley, John Lothrop
Netherlands -- Church history; Netherlands -- History -- Eighty Years' War, 1568-1648
A new board of magistrates, of which stout William Bardez was one, was
soon appointed; the train-bands were reorganized, and the churches thrown
open to the Reformed worship--to the exclusion, at first, of the
Catholics. This was certainly contrary to the Ghent treaty, and to the
recent Satisfaction; it was also highly repugnant to the opinions of
Orange. After a short time, accordingly, the Catholics were again
allowed access to the churches, but the tables had now been turned for
ever in the capital of Holland, and the Reformation was an established
fact throughout that little province.
Similar events occurring upon the following day at Harlem, accompanied
with some bloodshed--for which, however, the perpetrator was punished
with death--opened the great church of that city to the Reformed
congregations, and closed them for a time to the Catholics.
Thus, the cause of the new religion was triumphant in Holland and
Zealand, while it was advancing with rapid strides through the other
provinces. Public preaching was of daily occurrence everywhere. On a
single Sunday; fifteen different ministers of the Reformed religion
preached in different places in Antwerp. "Do you think this can be
put down?" said Orange to the remonstrating burgomaster of that city.
"'Tis for you to repress it," said the functionary, "I grant your
Highness full power to do so." "And do you think," replied the Prince,
"that I can do at this late moment, what the Duke of Alva was unable to
accomplish in the very plenitude of his power?" At the same time, the
Prince of Orange was more than ever disposed to rebuke his own Church for
practising persecution in her turn. Again he lifted his commanding voice
in behalf of the Anabaptists of Middelburg. He reminded the magistrates
of that city that these peaceful burghers were always perfectly willing
to bear their part in all the common burthens, that their word was as
good as their oath, and that as to the matter of military service,
although their principles forbade them to bear arms, they had ever been
ready to provide and pay for substitutes. "We declare to you therefore,"
said he, "that you have no right to trouble yourselves with any man's
conscience, so long as nothing is done to cause private harm or public
scandal. We therefore expressly ordain that you desist from molesting
these Baptists, from offering hindrance to their handicraft and daily
trade, by which they can earn bread for their wives and children, and
that you permit them henceforth to open their shops and to do their work,
according to the custom of former days. Beware, therefore, of
disobedience and of resistance to the ordinance which we now establish."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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