A General Martyrology, Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX. The Persecution of the Church in Germany, which began, Anno Christi, 1523.
The Pope stirs up the Emperor to persecute the P…otestants.THe Gospel being spread abroad in Germany, by the means and ministry of Luther, and his fellow-labourers, the Pope having tried all other means for the suppressing of it, and finding them ineffectual, he at last provokes the Emperour Charles the fifth by war to destroy the Protestants, and for that end gives him two hundred thousand crowns in money for the maintenance of these Wars, and ties himself at his own cost to maintain twelve thousand foot and five hundred horse for six moneths; yea out of his zeale for the cause, he allows the Emperour the one half of the Revenues of the Clergy, and gives him leave to sell off Abby-lands to the value of five hundred thousand crowns, whereupon great preparation was made for this War both in Germany, Spain, and Italy, the consideration wherereof caused the confederate Protestant Princes to raise a great Army also for their own defence; upon which occasion they were proclaimed guilty of high treason by the Emperour.
The two Armies lay near together, and the Protestants offered battel to the Emperour, but he refused, assuring himself that they could not long continue together: The Army of the Protestants was commanded by the Duke of Saxony, and the Lantgrave of Hessen, who did not concur very well in their counsels; besides they wanted both victuals and money, so as they were forced to dislodge and retire further off: the Emperour following, forced the Elector to fight with disadvantage; and God who doth not alwaies prosper the better cause, gave the victory to the Emperour,Duke of Saxony and the Lantgrave taken prisoners. A cruel persecution. the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgrave being taken prisoners, Anno 1547.
Presently after ensued a great persecution in many places: authority armed with laws and rigour, striving against simple verity: It was lamentable to hear how many poor men were troubled, both Ministers and Christians; some tossed from place to place; others exiled out of their own Countryes; some driven into Woods, and forced to dwell in Caves; some tormented upon the Rack, and some burned with fire and faggot; Amongst others, two young men were burnt at Bruxels, viz. Henry Voes and John Esch, Henry Voes, John Esch.formerly Augustine-Friars; When they came before the Inquisitors they were examined what they did believe? they answered, the books of the Old and New Testament, wherein were contained the Articles of the Creed. Then were they asked whether they did not believe the decrees of the Councels and Fathers: they answered such as were agreeing to the Scriptures, they believed, &c. When they were condemned, they gave thanks to God their heavenly father, which of his great goodnesse had delivered them from that false and abominable Religion, making them Priests to himself, and receiving them to himself as a sacrifice of a sweet odour; They went joyfully to the place of execution, protesting that they died for the glory of God and the doctrine of the Gospel as true Christians, and that it was the day which they had long desired; They joyfully embraced the stake, and endured patiently the torments of the fire, singing Psalmes, and rehearsing the Creed in testimony of their faith; whereupon one said to them,Comfort and joy in death. that they should take heed of glorifying themselves so foolishly; but of them answered, God fobid that we should glory in any thing but in the Crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ; When the fire was kindled at their feet, one of them said, Methinks you do strow Roses under my feet;A miracle of mercy. presently after they quietly slept in the Lord. Henry being before demanded if Luther had seduced him: he answered, Even so as Christ seduced his Apostles.
The year after there was one Henry Sutphen, who,Henry Sutphen. having been with Luther, came to Antwerp, from which he was driven for his Religion; Then did he go to Breme, where he was requested by some godly Citizens to preach to them, and the Citizens hearing him preach the Gospel so sin…rely, they were so in love with his Doctrine, that they requested him to tarry amongst them to be their Minister; but the Popish Clergy presently complained of him to the Magistrates, accusing him of Heresie, and desiring that he might be banished the town; but not prevailing there, they complained to the Archbishop, and sent their Chaplains daily to his Sermons to entrap him in his words:Popish malice. but it pleased God so to work upon them by his Ministery,Some that came to catch were converted. that most of them were converted, and did openly witness that he taught nothing but the truth of God.
Not long after he was set for to Meldorp, to preach the Gospel to them also; wherefore he thought good to try what God would work by him there; but the Citizens of Breme were very unwilling to part with him, because the Gospel had not as yet took much deep root amongst them, and because the persecution was very great, &c. Yet Sutphen alledged, that in Diethmarch there was more need of his labours, the people being as sheep amongst Wolves, and that with a safe conscience he could not deny their request, and that he did not intend utterly to forsake Breme, but only for a monethmonth or two, after which he would return to them again. So having made all things ready, he went into Diethmarch to Meldorp, were he was joyfully received. But before he began to preach,Popish subtilty and malice. the Divel and his instruments began to fret and fume, and consulting together, they resolved to hinder him from preaching, fearing that if the people once heard his doctrine, it would be too late to stop it; Hereupon they grievously complained to the Magistrates, telling them that if they suffered this Heretick to preach, he would infect all the Country as he had done at Breme, and that it would be a most gratefull service if they would put him to death. This so far prevailed with these ignorant men, that they resolved that he should be put to death unseen and unheard: They wrote also to forbid him to preach, whereunto, he answered, that since he was come at the request of the whole Parish to preach, he resolved to answer that call, and rather to obey God than man, and that if God had determined that there he should lose his life,Courage. there was as near a way to heaven from thence as from any other place; assuring himself that sooner or later he must die for the Gospels sake: And accordingly the next day he preached, and the people so liked him, that they resolved to have him for their Preacher, and to defend him to their power; in the afternoon he preached again; afterwards also he preached a third time with such a spirit and grace, that all men admired him, praying God earnestly that they might long enjoy such a Preacher; But his enemies were not all this while idle: for going to the Rulers of the Country, they procured some of them to joyn with them,Implacable malice. and privately raised five hundred men, with whom they went in the night time to Meldorp, brake into the house where Sutphen lay, pulled him out of his bed naked, and in their rage had almost pulled him to pieces: they then bound him, and asked him for what cause he came into Diethmarch? he gently declared it to them, yet they led him away barefoot: so that his feet being pitifully cut with the ice, he desired a horse to ride on, for which they jeared him, saying, Must we provide an horse for an Heretick? thou shalt go on foot whether thou wilt or no: Afterwards they bound him with chains, and set him in the stocks: Then was he removed to another place and shut up in a Cupboard; The next day binding him, hands, feet and neck, they carried him forth to be burned.He is condemned unheard. Then a certain woman came to them, and proffered her self to suffer two thousand stripes, and to give them a great summe of mony if they would but respite his life till he had a publick hearing, but they threw her underfoot and trod upon her;Popish cruelty They also fell upon Sutphen, cutting and mangling of him in several parts: The fire was often kindled, yet would not burn; then they fell upon him again, cutting and slashing him, and at last bound him to a ladder, and threw him into the fire, and when he began to pray, one of them him struck, saying, Thou shalt first be burnt, and then pray and prate thy fill;His Martyrdome. another trode upon his breast, and another endeavoured to strangle him: another ran him through with an Halberd: another struck him on the breast with a Mace till he died: and lastly they rosted him upon the coals, and so he finished his Martyrdom. About the same time many other godly persons were thrown into the River of Rhene and drowned,Many drowned. and in the Town of Diethmarch another faithful servant of God suffered Martyrdom.
In Hala a godly preacher was slain by a company of cut-throats, set on by the Friars. And not long after the Town of Miltenburg was taken, sacked,Miltenburg sacked. many slain, and others imprisoned for maintaining Caralostadius to be their Preacher: Two other godly persons were burned at Vienna.
Also a godly Minister for reproving sin in his Prince sharply, was condemned to be hanged,A Minister condemned to be hanged. and a cruel Gentleman with a Troop were sent to apprehend and hang him: The Gentleman when he came to his house saluted him friendly; pretending that he came to make good cheer with him, for he was a good house-keeper, and the Gentlemen of the Country used oft to resort to him; The Minister in a short time prepared▪ a sumptuous banquet for them, whereof they ate freely. Dinner being ended, the Gentleman said to his men, Take this Priest our host and hang him without delay: his servants astonished hereat, abhorred to do the deed, saying, God forbid that we should commit such a crime,Ingratitude. as to hang a man that hath used us so courteously, its a wicked act thus to render evil for good, &c. But the Gentleman still provoked them to accomplish his command: Then did the Minister say, I beseech you shew not such cruelty upon me, rather lead me to purge my self to my Prince, before whom I doubt not to purge my self from any thing wherewith I shall be charged, neither so violate ye the lawes of hospitality which I have shewed to you and to other noble men, which used to resort to my house; besides consider what a sting this act will leave in your consciences: for I have faithfully and truly taught the doctrine of the Gospel, and that's the principal cause that my Prince bears me this ill will, &c. But whatsoever this good man could say in his own behalf, the wicked Gentleman continued resolute, provoking his servants to accomplish that which he commanded them, withal saying to the Minister, You shall gain nothing by your preaching in this sort, for I am fully determined that the Princes will shall be fulfilled. At last the servants took the Minister, and with great lamentation and mourning, hanged him upon a beam in his own house,He is hanged. the Gentleman standing by and looking on.
Also about the same time there was a godly learned Minister,Peter Spengler. called Master Peter Spengler in a town called Schlat, who faithfully discharged the duty of his place, and was much beloved for his affable and courteous carriage: he was also a great peace-maker, and very prudent in composing differences, well studied in the Scriptures, whereby he saw that persecution was at hand, the enemies of the truth beginning now to rage, and proudly to lift up their heads; yea shortly after he saw many bodies of the Saints cruelly tormented, beaten, exiled, drowned and burned; and to the end that he might not defile himself with fornication, he married his maid, who was one that feared God, and by whom afterwards he had many children.The rising of the Anabaptists. About this time there was a great commotion of the Boores, who went to Abbies and Monasteries, robbing, plundering, and spoiling what they could not carry away; one company of them came to his house, whom he entertained kindly, yet they ransacked and robbed him of all, even to his very apparel, not leaving him so much as a pair of stockings, though he laboured to convince them of their wickednesse; As they were going out of his house he fell a weeping,He is robbed by them. and said to them, I tell you that this your wickednesse will in the end bring much mischief upon your selves; you pretend the Gospel, but walk contrary to the rules of it, His good counsel.&c. But for his good counsel they requited him with scoffs and jeers.
It pleased God not long after, that this faithful Pastor in the night-time was taken by a company of Popish souldiers, who bound him hands and feet with a great rope,Popish cruelty and so carried him away to Friburg: It would have grieved any heart to hear the barbarous and despightful taunts and scoffs that they gave him; From thence they carried him to another place, where they cast him into prison, cruelly tormented him in his privy members, and other parts of his body, and at last adjudged him to death; As he was going to execution, he said, I shall be an acceptable sacrifice to my Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath given me a quiet conscience, as knowing my self innocent from the crimes objected against me: A Christian speech at his death.For my death, it is all one whether I die thus or no; for if you had let me alone, I must shortly have forsaken this skin, which already scarcely hangs to my bones. I know that I am a mortal and corruptible worme, I have long desired my last day, and have oft prayed that I might be delivered out of this mortal body, to be joyned with my Saviour Jesus Christ, &c. Then was he cast headlong into the river: which afterwards for a certain space was as red as blood.A miracle.
Another godly man there was, who (after the commotion raised by the Anabaptists was quieted) was apprehended under pretence that he was one of them, and cast into prison, in which he was long detained, and at last they hoisted him up with a cord, with a great stone fastned to his feet,Popish cruelty where they kept him six hours, so that the sweat that dropped from his body, through pain and anguish, was almost blood: at last his strength …ailing, they let him down with great violence: where he lay as a stock almost dead, only they perceived him to breath; Then did they use means to recover him, and gave him some food, after which they let him down into a deep dungeon: There he continued eighteen dayes, in the end whereof they took him forth, and examined him of divers things, which he denied: Then did they devise sundry kinds of torments to force him to accuse himself falsly, yet he constantly denied it: Afterwards they hired an hangman who left no kind of cruelty unpractised upon him: yet at length he was constrained to give over his cruelty, and pronounce the man innocent, in that he had constantly endured so many and grievous torments: Then did they again cast him into the dungeon, and in the mean time suborned two false witnesses against him,False witnesses. whereupon they condemned him unheard, and having let down a cord, they drew him up out of the dungeon to his execution; As he was going to it, a Friar perswaded him to confesse his sins in his eare, and he would absolve him, and so he should go to heaven: To whom he answered, Thou wicked Friar, get thee from me, I have long since bewailed my sins to God, and obtained absolution at the hands of my Saviour Jesus Christ, and therefore I have no need of thy absolution, His constant death.&c. At the place of execution, after he had made his Prayer to God, and vindicated his own innocency, his head was cut off. These were written by Oecolampadius.
Wolfgang Scuch coming to Hippolitus in Lorrain, was chosen to be their Pastor,Wolfgang Scuch where through Gods blessing upon his Ministry, he mightily prevailed with the People to bring them from darknesse to light, so that they forsook their former idolatry,Idolatry reformed. and abolished the Masse, and other superstitious practices from amonst them, which much enraged their Popish neighbours about them, so that they complained to the Duke that they had not only fallen from the Pope, but went about to cast off their obedience to him, and to shake off his authority: This so provoked the indignation of the Duke,Popist rage. that he threatned utterly to destroy the town with fire and sword; Wolfgang being informed hereof, wrote to the Duke in most humble wise, defending his Ministry and the doctrine which he taught, and the whole cause of the Gospel; he also excused the People as innocent and guiltlesse, confuted the slanders of their malicious adversaries, and professed their ready and willing subjection to that authority which God had placed over them; But this Epistle prevailed nothing by reason of the virulent accusations of their enemies;He goeth to the Duke and is imprisoned. Whereupon to save the town from ruine, he went of his own accord to the Duke to render an account of his doctrine, thereby deriving all the Odium and danger upon himself.
As soon as he came thither he was apprehended and cast into a straight and stinking prison▪ where he was most cruelly handled by the churlish Jailor: In this plight he remained a whole year, and yet would not shrink from his constancy, though besides his hard usage, he had a wife and five or six small children to care for: Then was he called to justifie his faith, which he did wittily and learnedly confuting all that did oppose him: and though they called him Heretick, Judas, Divel, He is reviled.&c. yet he regarded it not, but went on confirming his doctrine by the Scriptures: But when his adversaries could not make their part good against him,His Bible burnt. they took his Bible and burned it, and proceeded to condemn him to be burned; which sentence when he heard pronounced against him, he sang the 122. Psalm. When he came to the place of his Martyrdom, they asked him if he would have his pain shortned, he answered No: for saith he, God that hath been with me hitherto, His faith.I trust will not now leave me when I have most need of him. When faggots were heaped about him,His Martyrdome. he sang the 51. Psalm, and so continued singing till the flame and smoak took away his voice and life.
Shortly after the Commendator that sate as chief Judg upon him,Gods judgements on Persecutors. died suddenly: Also his fellow Judge hearing the sudden noise of some guns that went off at the coming of the King of Denmak into the town, was so overcome with fear, that he suddenly fell down and died.
One John Huglin, a Minister, was burned at Mersperg for Religion,John Huglin burned▪ Anno Christi 1526.
At Munchen in Bavaria, George Carpenter.one George Carpenter was apprehended and cast into prison for his Religion, and at last was brought forth before the Judges, where he stoultly defended the truth, refusing to recant; Then came a Schoolmaster to him, saying, My friend, dost thou not feare death? wouldst thou not fain return to thy wife and children? To whom he answered, Were I at liberty, whether should I go but to my dear wife and children? Then said the Schoolmaster, Recant your errours and you shall be set at liberty: George answered,Christ preferred before wife and children. My wife and my children are so dear to me, that they cannot be bought from me with all the riches and possessions of the Duke of Bavaria: but for the love of my Lord God I willingly forsake them all. When he went to execution, being again perswaded to recant, he said, I will confesse Christ this day before the whole world, for he is my Saviour, and in him do I believe. When he was bound to the Ladder, some Christian brethren desired him, that as soon as he was cast into the fire, he would give them some sign of the truth of his faith; to whom he said, This shall be my signe,His signe▪ His Martyrdome. that so long as my tongue can wag I will not cease to call upon the name of Jesus. He never changed his countenance, but chearfully went to the fire, and crying continually Jesus, Jesus, he joyfully yielded up his spirit unto God.
Also one Leonard Keyser, a Bavarian, being a Student at Wittenburg, was sent for to come home,Leonard Keyser. his father lying upon his death-bed; but so soon as he was come, he was apprehended at the command of the Bishop; and though the Duke of Saxony, Popish malice.and his own friends solicited very earnestly to the Bishop for his life, yet he proceeded to condemn him, and delivered him over to the secular Magistrate.His Martyrdome. As he was led to the place of execution, he said, O Lord Jesus, remain with me, sustain and help me, and give me strength; When the fire was ready to be kindled, he cryed out with a loud voyce, O Jesus, I am thine, have mercy upon me, and save me, and so he quietly slept in the Lord.
The Martyrdome of a godly Minister in Hungary.
A Cruel Bishop in Hungary took a godly Minister for preaching the truth;A Minister worried. and caused Hares, Geese, and Hens to be tied round about his naked body, and then set dogs upon him, that cruelly rent and tore whatsoever they could catch,Gods judgements on Persecutors. so that he died thereof; but God left not this cruelty unrevenged; for shortly after the Bishop fell mad, and raving, died miserably.