“I call upon thee O heavenly Father,
Be pleased to strengthen my faith,” etc.
When he came into the torture tower, he fell down upon his face, and called upon the Lord in fervent prayer, after which he rose, and offered up his sacrifice with all boldness, and was drowned there. He rests now under the altar, waiting for the number of his fellow-brethren to be fulfilled.
How signally the faithful God is filled with compassion over his people, how he comforts and strengthens them by his Spirit, how he goes with them into water and fire, yea, he remains with them in the bitterness of death, never forsaking them; and how he also regards every injury inflicted upon his own, as though the apple of his own eye were touched; this can clearly be seen and perceived, in both the Old and New Testaments, in the avenging hand of God, with which he many times smote bloodthirsty persecutors. Ex. 14:8; 2 Macc. 9:28; Acts 12:23.
The same can also be seen in many tyrants and persecutors of these latter days, as, among other, instances, may be seen in the case of a certain nobleman, named Andries Grijpen, who, searching for some thieves, laid his hands on this aforesaid, godfearing Reytse Aysess. And though their consciences (that is, his own as well as his wife’s conscience), greatly troubled and accused them with regard to this deed, so that they said they much deplored that these people were so exceedingly oppressed; these people who, he said, harmed no one, nor desired any one’s property, but were well satisfied with what they had. That these were thus harassed, was a grievous cross to his heart; and though he felt thus in his conscience, he nevertheless, through the instigation of his secretary, and because he, like Pilate, would remain the Emperor’s friend, and not lose his office, set at naught this conviction of his heart, and bound and ironed the aforesaid Reytse Aysess, and sent him thus to Leeuwaerden to prison. But the righteous God, who is not mocked, very soon after this deed, sorely smote the said lord with his avenging hand, so that the freebooters, coming from Holland, fell upon his house and completely demolished it, and subjected him to much affliction and ignominy, taking him with them to Holland, and setting a ransom of six thousand guilders upon him, in addition to which he had to give a hundred guilders each week as personal expenses, until the ransom had been fully paid. In consequence of this he and his family fell into extreme poverty, so that other people, filled with compassion, aided and fed him in this his great need. Besides this he was afflicted with gravel and consumption, of which he ultimately miserably died. Some others of his kindred also were taken out of this world in a miserable manner. Moreover, in these afflictions his conscience greatly accused him of this deed, so that he penitently prayed to God, desiring that through his temporal afflictions and suffering, he might, by the grace of God, escape and turn away the eternal torment of hell, which he seemed to experience in himself. Hence this ought to serve as an example to all tyrants and persecutors, carefully to beware of such deeds.
HENDRICK PRUYT, A. D. 1574.
About the year 1574 there was another pious brother, named Hendrick Pruyt, born at Harderwijck, in Guelderland, and a seaman by occupation, who came and sailed in the Zuyder Zee, on the coast of Friesland. And as a Spanish colonel was stationed at Wurckom, who was a zealous servant of the King of Spain, and a great war was carried on at that time between Holland and the King of Spain, the soldiers of the latter came in a yacht, on board of said Hendrick Pruyt’s vessel. And as he saw no way of escape, he said to his wife: “Trijntjen Jans, lamb, there comes the wolf;” exhorting her to boldness and to answer without dissimulation to whatever she might be asked. When these robbers came on board they asked: “Where does this craft hail from?” They answered: “From Harderwijck.” Though that place was at that time at peace with the King, they nevertheless had to go on shore with them, and Hendrick Pruyt was put in prison at Wurckom. His wife, who came to him, was greatly concerned how to obtain his release, for they were young people who greatly loved each other: and as Hendrick Pruyt had little hope of being released, he asked his wife not to go to much trouble on his account, but that she should travel to her brother and friends, who were principally interested in the vessel, that they might see how to get the vessel released, which was also done. While she went home, they in the mean time examined Hendrick Pruyt and found that he was a brother of the Mennistic persuasion.
On account of this they dealt with him so cruelly and tyranically, that they could not wait until the return of his wife, whom they might then also have made to tread this way of suffering. But they took this pious man and cast him into a boat which they had well smeared with tar. They also tarred the prisoner’s body, and bound his outstretched hands to the ends of the mast-thwart, and took him thus without the harbor, set fire to the boat, and started him burning seaward. But as his hands through the fire had become loosed or disengaged from their bonds, it seemed probable that he might yet deliver himself from the fire; but these murderers, seeing this, hastened to him, and thrust him through, and ended his life. Thus this friend of God passed valiantly through the conflict, and the seed of God, which he had received in his heart through the preaching of the divine word, remained in him unto the end, whereby he through patience overcame his enemies, kept the faith, and through God’s grace obtained the crown of eternal glory.
When this colonel perceived that Trijn Jans, his wife, hearing this report, would not readily be willing to run into the hands of these wolves, he was very much dissatisfied with it, saying: “If I had her here, she would have to go the same route;” and that if he could at any time get hold of this woman, though she were buried somewhere in a city, he would nevertheless dig up her dead body and burn it.
Consider, beloved reader, how such awful bloodthirstiness and tyranny accord with the word, spirit and example of Christ and his apostles, whose followers they, without shame, still dare call themselves.