Heyndrick van Eckelo, in the Year 1572

In the year 1572 a young man by the name of Heyndrick the Shoemaker was also imprisoned at Ghent in Flanders, for the testimony of Jesus, because he had turned his ear to the voice which calls, saying: "Come out of her, my people, so that you are not partakers of her sins, and that you do not receive of her plagues." Revelation 18, verse 4. So he separated from Babylon, and united with Christ, and because of this he was tried with very many hateful and severe threats by the ministers of Babylon, or antichrist. But the trial of his faith, being thus purified, was found much more precious than that of gold which perishes, though it is tried with fire (First Peter 1, verse 7); so that he patiently bore all things for the name of Jesus. [n1047-1] And since no tortures could move him to apostatize, for he was founded upon the rock, he was therefore put to death with the sword at that place, in the Friday market, and so died steadfastly, and, through grace, obtained the crown of eternal glory, and now rests under the altar, Christ Jesus.

This hero and warrior of Jesus Christ composed in his bonds the beautiful hymn which is found in the Tafereel hymnbook, and which begins like this

"Since nature teaches me this."