Hans Bret, in the Year 1576

Hans Bret, who was about twenty one years old, the son of one Thomas Bret, an Englishman, was (besides the daily labor he performed in the service of his master) very diligently concerned and engaged with the study of the word of the Lord. He exercised himself in it constantly, morning and evening as well, generally exhorting those with whom he had dealings to a virtuous and godly life with edifying, profitable and instructive passages from the holy Scriptures. He would not spend Sunday idly either, but truly kept it holy and observed it: he generally gathered together a number of new converts, and went to them diligently and in all kindness, setting before them in the fear of God some edifying questions from the Scriptures, by which he exhorted them to repent and turn from their sinful life, showing them the anger which God will pour out upon the children of unbelief and unrighteousness, and the gracious promises of salvation which are promised in eternal life to the penitent children of faith. This exhorting he did with such fitting earnestness and such edifying teaching that many sought to be with him, seeing in him the powerful work of God and his growth in the knowledge of Christ, with which he, though so young in years, was very richly filled, and which he also did not keep to himself alone, but let it break forth and flow from him without fear, to the profit and advantage of his neighbor. Second Corinthians 3, verse 5; Philippians 3, verse 8; First Timothy 4, verse 12; First Corinthians 10, verse 33.

But the devil, the enemy of righteousness, and the envier of the increase of virtue and of the church of Christ, could not tolerate or endure this long. Seeing in this servant the godly zeal for the truth, and his diligence in converting those who erred, he used his instruments (bloodthirsty men, who have always dishonored the temple of God, murdered His sheep, slain His saints, shed their blood, and given their flesh as meat to the beasts of the field) to trouble this servant of God with affliction, and to hinder the brightness of his light, which he also partly brought about and accomplished. For about two months after he had been baptized upon the confession of his faith, according to the command of Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, there came, on the sixth day of May, in the year 1576, about nine o'clock in the evening, the bailiff of Antwerp, with many servants, to the house of Hans Bret's master, who had been betrayed with all his household. They closely guarded this house from behind, where it had two exits, as well as in front, with armed men and beadles, and then knocked at the front door, which Hans Bret came to open (not knowing that those who thirsted for the blood of his master and his household, and for his own, stood before it), and he asked who was there. They said: "Open," and pretended that they wanted to buy something. In the meantime, hearing that they had put an instrument into the door, to open it from the outside, he began to think that these were the wolves and tyrants who had come to devour the innocent and harmless sheep of Christ, and he did not open the door to them; but they managed to open it from outside. Seeing this, Hans Bret ran into the house, where his master was sitting and eating with his wife and several other women, and warned them of it. They all quickly rose up and ran to the rear, thinking (as Hans Bret did too) to escape by the back door; but when they opened it, the bailiff's beadles showed themselves with great cruelty, quickly seizing and capturing all whom God permitted them to take, among whom there was also this servant of God; but his master and several others with him were wonderfully and remarkably delivered and preserved through the hand and help of God. Jeremiah 1, verse 8; Acts 26, verse 17. Behold, this is how this innocent sheep of Christ fell into the hands of the wolves, and was confined in prison, only for the faith in the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the practice of it.

Now, how he conducted himself in his bonds; how they, through tricks and snares, fair promises and severe threats, sought to move him from the salvation of his soul and to rob him of it; and how they, because he had written some letters to his brothers and friends, threw him into a foul dungeon; together with the various disputations which he had with the priests and soul seducers, and also how he answered them, and what boldness he showed through the help of God: all this you will find fully treated and revealed in the following letters written by him.

When he had been confined about eight months, the tyrants finally went to the utmost of their power in the case of this servant of God and faithful follower of Christ, and on the Friday before Derthien Avondt, in the year 1577, had him brought into court, where he went very boldly, since his bonds were not for any crime, evil, or unrighteousness, but for the doctrine of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, for righteousness and truth, for which the children of God have always had to suffer abundantly, who have helped Christ to bear His cross, as a true sign that they are Christ's servants, disciples and followers.

Being brought before the lords and judges, he was asked whether he had been baptized upon his faith, which he finally confessed and acknowledged, not ashamed of what he had done by the command of his Lord and Master Christ Jesus, though he certainly knew that they did not ask him in order to be taught by him, but only to get a word from his mouth by which they might sentence him to death. When the lords and criminal judges had heard this Christian confession, they rose up and went to sentence him to death; and having returned from their evil consultation, they pronounced and declared their sentence over this servant of God: that he should publicly be burned alive at the stake until death followed.

When he had received his sentence, he was conducted back to prison, undismayed and of good courage, where he doubtless spoke some words of Scripture to the common people, setting forth that the cause of his imprisonment and suffering was not any evil or crime, but the faith of the pure and saving truth, which the world cannot endure. Romans 10, verse 9.

So he (Hans Bret) was brought back from the court into prison, and confined and held there until the following day, which was Saturday. Then, in the morning, the executioner came to him in prison, in order to screw his tongue fast, close his mouth, and prevent his speaking. O miserable work!

Murderers, and the very worst criminals, have the privilege and permission of freely using their tongue; but see here a follower of Christ, a child of God, a servant of faith, one separated from the world, in whom righteousness dwells, and in whom no cause of death is found. See how he is prepared for death by closing his mouth and screwing his tongue fast, so that the truth may not be proclaimed, righteousness not heard, nor any testimony given of the name of Christ. O Christ, look down, and help Your saints.

When the executioner had come to him, he commanded him to put out his tongue, which he (faithful and pious servant of God) willingly did, since he had not one member on his body which he was not willing to give up to suffering for the name of Christ, being well assured that all the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the joy and glory which God has promised to those who overcome. Matthew 10, verse 22; Romans 8, verse 18; Revelation 2, verse 7.

And when he put out his tongue, the executioner fastened it with a piece of iron, and screwed it very tight with a vise or screw, and then touched the end of the tongue with a hot iron, so that it would swell and the screw might not slip off or become loose. O bitter cruelty and great tyranny.

When they had thus closed his mouth, and screwed his tongue fast, the fire in which he was to be offered up being already prepared in the market place, they led him out of prison, with his hands tied together, and placed him in a wagon, to convey him to the market place, to the spot where his sacrifice for the Word of truth was to take place.

It is said that they took this wagon because the way that leads from the prison to the market place could not well be walked, on account of the burnt houses which had been set on fire by the Spaniards at the taking of Antwerp.

When he stepped into the wagon, he saw several people of his acquaintance, whom he looked at boldly and joyfully, showing by his actions the desire he had to come to the place where his sacrifice was to take place. He affectionately bowed his head, and greeted various people with it, expressing and showing his steadfastness by his face and his actions, all to the praise of God, who gives such strength and power to His saints, being their protector, refuge, help, power, strength, and strong bulwark in all the distress, tribulation, sorrow, and suffering inflicted on them by the world for the true saving faith in Jesus Christ. Matthew 28, verse 20; Psalm 18, verse 2; Matthew 16, verse 16.

When he had been brought into the market place, near the stake and the fire, he raised himself up, and, clothed with Christian glory, came down from the wagon, being of good courage in God, strong in faith, and persevering in the conflict. With folded hands, he bowed his knees to the earth, humbly lifting his eyes up to heaven, so preparing himself to worship his Lord and God, and to commend himself to Him, as is fitting for every Christian believer. Luke 23, verse 46. But when those bloodthirsty men saw this, they could not tolerate or endure it (though they nevertheless permit criminals to do it, who are put to death for their evil deeds); instead, pulling him up from the ground very hurriedly and quickly, they prevented him from calling to God on his knees, and with great cruelty brought him to the stake. To suffer all this, he went into the hut (built of straw and wood), stepping humbly and meekly to where they placed him at the stake, and made him fast by putting chains around his body, all of which he endured with great steadfastness for the Word and truth of Christ. And as he stood there in the hut, at the stake, they finally kindled the fire, and so burned alive and devoured this lamb, whose body indeed was burned, but whose soul was received into paradise, into joy and blessed rest, because he confessed Christ, who has promised salvation to those who endure.

So this young and pious Christian, about twenty one years old, ended his life, and offered and gave up his body for the Word of God, in the year 1577, on Derthien Avondt; and so he became a witness among the witnesses of Jesus, a confessor among the confessors of Christ, a Christian conqueror among the soldiers of the Lord, a soul among the souls of Christ at rest under the altar, a faithful servant among the servants of Christ, whose reward is the crown of eternal, imperishable life.

Here follow some letters which Hans Bret wrote during his imprisonment.