And I’ll await you there.”
The executioner again twisting the rope, this witness of Jesus fell asleep in the Lord, and was burnt, voluntarily surrendering for the truth, his perishable body, which he had received from God, and thus fought the fight, finished his course, and kept the faith, and there is now laid up for him the crown of eternal glory.
Previous to the year 1557, under the reign of the Palsgrave of the Rhine, several of those baptized according to the ordinance of Christ were cast into prison, and exiled from the country, as appears from the preface to the Frankenthalische Gespraech, and also in the preface to the Oude Offerboeck, of the year 1616, letter Y, on the other side.
From this it appears that the Baptist Christians at this time had to suffer not only from the Romanists, but also from those who had forsaken the Roman church and many of her superstitions; from which it may be seen what great distress the church of God then had to suffer, insomuch that freedom of conscience was nowhere to be found, since among the papists they were deprived of their lives, and among other denominations of the liberty to practice their religious worship.
HANS BRAEL SEVERELY PERSECUTED A. D. 1557.
In the year 1557, a few days before Ascension-day, brother Hans Brael, while on a journey, was apprehended in the Pusterthal, for the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ. Nearly a league from the castle, he met the Judge, who not knowing him, rode past him, and saluted him, Hans Brael thanking him: but the actuary rode up to him, and asked him: “Where are you going and what have you been doing here?” He replied that he had been with his brethren. The actuary asked him whether the Baptists were his brethren. “Yes,” he replied. He then seized him, and the judge turned about, dismounted, and taking the brother’s own girdle from his body, bound him with it and made him walk like a dog alongside of his horse, through mud and mire, for a whole league, until they arrived in the castle. He was so fatigued from walking, and from being bound so hard, that he could stand no longer, but fell down in the field, so that even the lord of the castle reproved the Judge for having bound him so hard. There they examined him, taking from him whatever they found on his body, and put him into prison. The next day he was forthwith brought out, and the lord of the castle examined him himself, and asked him concerning his faith and baptism, and what he thought of the sacrament. When he made confession of his faith and the divine truth, they abandoned everything, and pressed him hard to recant. But when he plainly told them, not to count on his renouncing the truth confessed, they brought him back into prison.
Eight days after, he was brought out again, and the lord with six others examined him; but being unable to accomplish anything, they remanded him to prison. After another eight days they arraigned and examined him before the whole council, and the Judge called his faith a delusion, and his church a sect. Acts 24:14. But Hans said: “It is neither a sect nor a delusion; but it is the church of God.” The Judge said: “It may be the devil’s; how could it be God’s church?” and became angry over it and said again. “On what account should it be called the church of God?” But brother Hans boldly adhered to it, that it was the church of God. Then said the Judge: “Since he knows who has come from the seignioralty of Innsbruck, we also want to know where those are whom they send out into this country, what their names are, who has fed and harbored them; all this we want to know.” But he answered them: “We are not sent out to the harm or detriment of any one; but our calling is, that we shall seek the salvation of men and exhort them to repentance and reformation (Matt. 10:5; Acts 2:38); but the things that are asked here are not articles of faith, nor are they necessary to know; hence I do not wish to tell them, nor to accuse any one.” The Judge admonished him urgently, to spare himself, since his body should be tortured, if he refused to name the persons, and to confess who had harbored him. Hans asked the Judge and the whole council, whether he could be considered good if he adopted the proposed means, and betrayed those who had shown him such kindness, by feeding and lodging him. The members of the council looked at each other, and said themselves that they should not consider it good, if it were done to them. But the Judge became enraged, and asked whether he meant to charge the honorable council with requiring treachery of him, and again admonished him very solemnly, to spare himself, or they should deal very severely with him. But as he would not confess to them, they remanded him again to prison, to see what he should resolve upon.
After this they brought him forth again, and took him to the rack, where he himself took off his clothes, lay down before them, and patiently submitted to the torturing ropes, so that the eyes of the bystanders filled with tears, and they could not refrain from weeping.
The executioner suspended him by the rope, but the Judge earnestly admonished him to spare himself, and to indicate the persons required; but he said he would betray no one but would bide whatever God permitted them to inflict upon him. Then they tied a large stone to his feet. The Judge became angry, when he perceived that he could accomplish nothing, and said: “You swear to each other that you will not betray one another.” He replied: “We do not swear, but we do not betray any one, because it would be wrong.” Then the Judge said: “You are a rogue; I have detected you in a lie; why will you suffer yourself to be tortured.” The brother said: “I am no rogue, and in what lie have you detected me?” The Judge said: “You said that you were no teacher, but we find that you certainly are one.” He answered: “I am no teacher; but if I were one, I would not be ashamed of it; for it is an honorable thing before God.” 1 Tim. 3:1.
Thereupon they left him hanging by the rope, and went away; but the executioner staid with him. In the meantime the officers assembled, and he was admonished to confess: or they would not cease racking him until they should have rent his limbs asunder. He replied that he would bide what God should permit them to inflict upon him, since they could do no more than God permitted them. The executioner said: “Are you not a fool, to think that God looks down to see what we are doing in this hole; for this would be ridiculous.” Then the council returned and said that the lady of the castle had interceded for him, that they should torture him no longer, and, hence, they would let it rest; and they sent him back to prison.