The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, Introduction 2 · Section 47
SECT. XLVII.
When theſe poor Wretches had ſigned this Abjuration, and hoped thereby to be at reſt, they were far enough from it; for their Conſciences flew in their Faces, and many of them were driven unto deſpair. Yet their Perſecutors never ceaſed tormenting them; they muſt own and atteſt it before the World, that they embraced the Roman Religion freely, voluntarily, and of their own accord, and that no Violence was offer'd them to move or induce them to turn from the Reformed Religion. And if after this they ſcrupled to go to Maſs, to communicate after the Popiſh way, to tell over their Chaplet of Beads, or if a Sigh eſcaped from them, indicating their Grief and Sorrow for their great Sin in forſaking the Truth, immediately there were great Fines laid upon them, and their old Gueſts the Dragoons are ſent back again to beat up their quarters, and they muſt entertain afreſh thoſe old Gueſts, who had wearied them out of their Faith and Life.
I have by me a Letter from Mets, giving an account of the ſtate of the poor Proteſtants upon their Abjuration; which may not be unacceptable to the Reader.
My Dear F.
YOUR's of the Thirteenth of September is come to my hands, by which I perceive you are well informed of all things relating to thoſe Holy Miſſionaries, our Dragoons. You cannot for all that imagine what it is to fall into the hands of ſuch Apoſtles. Of all the Families of*There were in that Church 10000 Communicants. Mets, there are left but two Perſons which have not ſubſcribed, viz. Madamoiſelle Goffin, who is a Priſoner in the Nunnery of the Female Preachers, and Madamoiſelle Ferry, Siſter to Monſieur Le Bachelier the Counſellour, who is alſo clapt up in the Nunnery of St. Clare. Theſe are the only two Perſons who have refuſed Subſcription; yet do not perſuade your ſelf into that Opinion, that becauſe they have ſubſcribed, therefore they muſt needs be of the Roman Religion: nay the very contrary is true, for we were never more eſtranged from it. I ſhall deal plainly with you, we ought not to be blamed for our weakneſs in ſubſcribing; for had all the Miniſters of France, now exiled the Kingdom, been reſident in it, and lain, as we have, at the cruel mercy of Dragoons; I am certainly perſuaded, that not five in an hundred could have ſtood it out, but muſt have ſubſcribed as well as we. Do not then believe that ſuch as have ſubſcribed have changed their Religion, I can give you full evidence that they were never more zealous for the Reformed Religion than now. I know we have too too much neglected your Advices; but the moſt eminent among us were too ſecure, even our Miniſters themſelves, who, becauſe of the profound peace in which we lived, had made Purchaces, and richly furniſhed their houſes with the beſt of Goods. And if, after all this, we have had the Misfortune to expect that ill Hour and Lot of Subſcription, 'twas becauſe there was no means left of ſaving our ſelves; and whereas we be condemned for our fooliſh confidence in thoſe golden Promiſes, That neither by word or deed we ſhould be in the leaſt hurt upon the ſcore of Conſcience; I muſt reply, it was becauſe, the Paſſages on the Frontiers being ſo ſtrictly guarded, we could not poſſibly eſcape; for on this ſide of the Kingdom all were ſo narrowly watched, that a poor Cat could not meet with an Hole, by which to creep out.
You writ to me concerning Monſieur N. pray when you ſee him, tell him that Madam N. his Siſter-in-law lodgeth at my houſe, with her Family, and that already three of her Sons are departed the Kingdom. She is one of the ſweeteſt Gentlewomen that may be, the Lord bleſs and aſſiſt her in all her deſigns. She ran the ſame risk with the reſt, but is little concerned for it. There be daily brought into the Priſons of this City, Perſons of Vitry, Chalons, and Sedan, who are Condemned unto the Gallies, or to perpetual Dureſs. Finally on our ſide we have no means left us of eſcaping, ſo that we muſt abſolutely reſign our ſelves to the will of our God, 'till he open a Door for us. Yet I beſeech you, do not believe, that Worldly conſiderations, as of goods and eſtates, do detain us here; No, no, could we but have had liberty of departure, we had long e'r this gone away, though only with our Shifts about us, yea, tho' we had left our Children behind us. But it is not God's will that we ſhould yet quit this place, nay, 'tis his will that we be patient, and that we hinder our Childrens falling into ſuch hands as would educate them in Idolatry, in a falſe Religion, and in an averſion for our ſelves alſo. I muſt add, that we had no preſervative from ſubſcribing, it was wholly impoſſible to avoid that Subſcription againſt the Proteſtant Reformed Religion, tho' as yet we are not obliged to go to Maſs; but expect once more the Dragoons with their Swords in their hands to drive us to it. We know we have ſubſcribed, but we know alſo we have not changed our Religion, and through Grace we ſhall never change it. I may aſſure you, that ſo great were our Oppreſſions, that they might have oblig'd us to have been Turks as well as Papiſts, and to have wore a Turban, had it been as high again as the Triple Crown. Our wiſeſt Catholicks for theſe laſt ſix Months have told us, That we ſhould ſhortly be of one Religion, but never be of one belief. And they had reaſon for what they ſaid. For we were never more fixed in our Religion than now. Sometimes, for faſhions ſake, we go unto their Sermons, but return extreamly diſſatisfied with thoſe Diſcourſes, and more confirmed in our firſt Faith than before. Poor Monſieur de Chevenix lies very ill, the Curate of his Pariſh was with him to oblige him to Confeſſion; but he poſitively told him, he would not confeſs himſelf to any but God, who alone could forgive him his ſins; and not to any mortal creature, who was as much a ſinner as himſelf. Afterwards he was viſited by the Archbiſhop, who would have obliged him to communicate before death, which he alſo as ſtiffly refuſed. The Archbiſhop acquainted him with the King's Orders, concerning ſuch who being ſick refuſe to communicate e'er they die. He replied, that he cared not a Ruſh for them, and that he would never communicate after the Popiſh manner. I know not what may happen hereafter, but at preſent he is mending, and I believe he will perfectly recover. But the Ordinances of the King, or rather of the Clergy, are, That the ſick ſhall communicate before death; and in caſe they do not, their dead Carkaſſes ſhall be drawn upon the Hurdle, and then thrown into the Common Jakes, and all their Goods confiſcated; and if they recover, they ſhall however be condemn'd unto the Gallies, and all their Goods confiſcated. You may ſee by this to what a woful paſs we are reduced, till the Lord our good God ſhall be pleaſed to turn the Wheel better for our advantage.
Our whole Family here ſalutes you: We are wholly buſied in gathering in the Vintage, but never with leſs pleaſure, inaſmuch as we know not for whom we toil our ſelves. Monſieur Ancillon hath left Hannaw for Berlin, whither he is called to be their fourth Miniſter. Madamoiſelle Morgue with two of her Siſters are gotten ſafely out of the Kingdom, after that they had been hid from the Dragoons. Farewel.
Octob. 2. 1686. I am Yours, E.—
N. B. Monſieur Chevenis, who is mentioned in this Letter, was a venerable and ancient Gentleman, a perſon of eminent Prudence, illuſtrious for Learning and Godlineſs, and Counſellor to the King in the Court of Metz. He perſiſted faithful to death; and when dead they dragged most inhumanly his dead Carkaſs upon a Hurdle, and buried it in a Dunghil. He hath a Brother, a very Reverend Miniſter of the Goſpel, refugied in this City of London.